4 min read
A medication review is where treatment actually gets adjusted. The difficulty is that memory is unreliable — asked how the last six weeks went, most people describe the last three days.
A small amount of tracking solves this, and it does not need to be elaborate.
Worth noting between appointments
- Roughly how many good days and difficult days you had each week
- Any side effects, when they started, and whether they eased
- Doses you missed, and what got in the way
- How you have been sleeping
- Anything significant that changed in your life, since that affects the picture
Questions worth asking
- What should I expect from this medication, and by when?
- Which side effects are expected early and likely to settle, and which should I report straight away?
- How long before we would know this is not working?
- What would we try next if it is not?
- Is there anything I should avoid while taking this?
Be straightforward about doses you have missed
Missed doses are extremely common and they change how a medication looks to be performing. A clinician who thinks you have taken something consistently may conclude it has failed and change it unnecessarily.
Saying you have missed doses is useful information, not a confession. It often points at a practical problem worth solving — timing, side effects, or a routine that does not fit.
Do not stop on your own
If something is not working, or the side effects are not tolerable, contact the office rather than stopping. Some psychiatric medications need to be reduced gradually, and stopping abruptly can cause problems of its own.