WHY DO YOU NEED A MEDICATION CHECK-UP?

For seniors and patients who take two or more medicines, it should be a standard part of their medication regimen, to review all the medicines they take! With a change in their health, their medicines also need to be reviewed and might need to be even changed, as medicine overload can cause harmful side effects.

You may find these 7 reasons relevant on why you may need to have a Medication check-up:

1. If you are taking a lot of medicines: Estimates suggest that more than one thirds of older adults worldwide take five or more prescription medications or dietary supplements or over-the-counter drugs. Those who have a complex regimen may forget to take their medicines, which may aggravate their medical problems. Or they may take too much of a particular medicine that can cause an adverse effect or even may have a dangerous drug interaction. On identifying complications in the regimen, the doctor may simply withdraw certain medication or supplements,so that you feel relieved with the simplified routine.

• If you are encountering certain side effects: All medicines are known to have side effect and may even have nasty interaction with other medicines. You are most likely to be harmed by the medication that your doctor has prescribed to help you get and stay well. Studies show that additional medicines can increase the risk of drug interaction by about 7 to 10%. You may experience drug side effects like nausea, dizziness, drowsiness or even confusion that may cause long term damage. A MEDICATION CHECK-UP under your care plan can let your doctor make necessary alterations to your medication that can help you stay healthy and happy!
  
  

• If you are self prescribing: Some medicines that were previously available as prescription medicines only, are now available over the counter, making it easy to get an easy access to them. These over-the-counter drugs which you take without consulting a doctor may berisking an adverse interaction with your other medications. A medication check-up may help you identify any such over-the-counter medications that may be harming you.
  
  
• If you have just got out of hospital after a treatment: During the treatment at hospital, you might have received certain new medications for a speedy recovery. It is imperative to seek recommendation from a primary care physician, so that medications can be adjusted according to their further need. Prolonged and overuse of any drug can cause adverse effects rather than curing.
  
  
• If you are consulting more than one doctor: You might be visiting several specialists owing to the various ailments you might be suffering from. And each doctor prescribes you his set of medications relevant to the ailment you went to him for. At this point, it is necessary for him to know if you are already taking any other medications so that he can check his medications for any prospective interactions and alter his prescription accordingly. But if you presume that all doctors know what the other ones are doing, then a medication check-up might be a necessity for you.
  
  
• If you do not require taking drugs anymore: Sometimes you prefer to self- subscribe owing to the availability of the over-the-counter drugs. Or your doctor might have prescribed certain medication, not specifying the duration for which you are supposed to be taking the drug. In either of the cases, you might be taking the drug you do not need any longer. Here, a medication check-up can help you with eliminating those drugs from your medication care plan.
  
  
• If you have some uncontrolled symptoms: You might have started with the lowest possible dose of your prescribed drug, but your symptoms do not seem to subside. Or if your symptoms do not seem to be in control even after taking the medication for a while. In both the cases, your condition may be stated as getting worsened and you need to be given a stronger dose or a different drug. A medication check-up may assist you finding an appropriate solution for this situation.

The Advantages of Routine check-ups Comprise:

1. Lower your risk of Becoming Ill.
2. Detect potentially life-threatening health conditions or Disorders early.
3. Increase Opportunities for treatment and cure.
4. Restrict risk of complications by closely tracking existing conditions.
5. Boost lifespan and improve Wellbeing.
6. Form a good partnership with the doctor so Therapy Could be Significantly More efficient
7. Get updated about new medical information or Technology that are available.

CONCLUSION-

A medication check-up is necessary for you if you want to keep a check on what medication you are taking and how it is affecting your health.  Sometimes, you consult more than one specialist and it?s important to know if any of the medications adversely affects or interacts with other drugs.

Moreover, even if you are regular for FULL HEALTH CHECK UP in Kenya and visits to your doctor, still things can change between visits. As such, adjustments need to be made and a medication check-up can be a significant resource!!