Since your medications need an annual physical too, doing an annual medication review with your pharmacist is so important. A medication review is a 30-minute private consultation with your pharmacist that is covered in the majority of provinces.
During the consultation each of your medications are listed and discussed, including prescriptions, over-the-counter, herbal, vitamins, and even creams, puffers, and eye drops. If you get your medications at more than one pharmacy, you should bring either a complete list or a bag of all your medications. The purpose of each medication and the best way to take it to ensure that it works properly is discussed and written down for you. The pharmacist will also try to determine if there are any questions, problems, or side effects that she can help you to resolve.
This list is especially important if you use more than one pharmacy or see more than one doctor. This list is invaluable in the case of a sudden visit to the emergency room.
When you have a medication review, at minimum, you should walk out with a complete, detailed list of ALL your medications, dosages, directions, and reason for use that you can keep with you at all times. If you brought up unresolved health problems and concerns or if your pharmacist detected some problems, your pharmacist will also have prepared a pharmacy care plan. This is an action plan where the pharmacist may have recommended to stop, start, or change certain medications in order to help you that is shared with your doctor with your consent.
Costco Pharmacists are pleased to do a medication review for you annually and as you need at no charge to you in most provinces. Please consider taking advantage of this important and valuable health service today.