Annual Medication Review with a Pharmacist: How It Reduces Side Effects

Every year, millions of Americans take medications that don’t belong to them-or take too many, or take them at the wrong time. Some of these mistakes lead to hospital visits. Others cause fatigue, dizziness, confusion, or stomach problems that people blame on aging. But often, the real culprit isn’t age-it’s medication overload.

What an Annual Medication Review Actually Does

An Annual Medication Review (AMR) isn’t just a quick chat about your prescriptions. It’s a full 30-minute evaluation done by a pharmacist who looks at every pill, patch, vitamin, and herbal supplement you’re taking. This includes over-the-counter painkillers, sleep aids, heartburn meds, and even gummies labeled as "natural." The goal? Find and fix problems before they land you in the ER. Pharmacists check for:

• Drugs that interact badly with each other
• Doses that are too high or too low
• Medications you no longer need
• Side effects you didn’t realize were drug-related
• Duplicate prescriptions (yes, this happens more than you think)

According to the National MTM Advisory Board, this process is called a Comprehensive Medication Review (CMR). It’s not optional for Medicare Part D beneficiaries-it’s required. And for good reason: the CDC says about 40% of adults over 65 take four or more long-term medications. That’s polypharmacy. And polypharmacy increases your risk of side effects by nearly 50%.

Why Pharmacists, Not Just Doctors?

Your doctor sees you for 10-15 minutes. They’re focused on your blood pressure, your diabetes, your joint pain. They don’t have time to dig into every medication you’ve been prescribed over the last five years.

Pharmacists do. They’re trained to spot drug interactions that even electronic health records miss. A pharmacist knows that taking a common antacid with a blood thinner can reduce the drug’s effectiveness. They know that a sleep aid combined with an antidepressant can cause dangerous drowsiness. They’ve seen it before-and they’ve helped fix it.

A study from Outcomes.com found that pharmacist-led reviews reduce hospital admissions by up to 30% in high-risk patients. That’s not a guess. That’s data from real patients who went from taking 12 pills a day to 6-and stopped feeling dizzy every morning.

What to Bring to Your Review

Don’t show up with just your prescription bottles. Bring everything.

• All prescription medications (even ones you haven’t taken in months)
• All over-the-counter drugs (ibuprofen, melatonin, antacids, cold meds)
• Vitamins, minerals, and supplements (including CBD, turmeric, fish oil)
• Herbal teas or remedies (st. john’s wort, ginkgo biloba, echinacea)
• A list of symptoms you’ve noticed (fatigue, memory lapses, nausea, swelling)

About half of patients forget to mention supplements. That’s a problem. St. John’s wort can cancel out antidepressants. Garlic supplements can thin your blood. These aren’t "harmless"-they’re active drugs with real effects.

One patient, 72, came in feeling constantly tired. She was on seven medications. The pharmacist found she was taking two different versions of the same blood pressure drug-prescribed by two different doctors. She stopped one. Her energy returned in two weeks.

What Happens After the Review?

The pharmacist doesn’t just point out problems. They make a plan.

• They may recommend stopping a drug that’s no longer needed
• They might suggest switching to a safer alternative
• They can adjust timing (e.g., taking a statin at night instead of morning)
• They can help you use blister packs or pill organizers
• They’ll send a written summary to your doctor with their recommendations

You don’t have to accept every suggestion. But you should understand why it’s being made. For example, if a pharmacist says to stop a cholesterol pill you’ve taken for 10 years, they’re not being reckless. They’re looking at your latest lab results, your diet, your activity level-and asking: "Does this still help?" A 2023 report from Cardinal Health found that 68% of patients who had a CMR had at least one medication changed or stopped. Of those, 82% reported fewer side effects within 30 days.

Who Benefits Most?

This isn’t just for seniors. But if you fall into any of these groups, you’re a strong candidate:

• You take five or more medications daily
• You’ve been hospitalized for a drug reaction
• You’ve noticed new symptoms after starting a new drug
• You forget to take pills or take them at the wrong time
• You see multiple doctors and aren’t sure if they know what you’re taking
• You’re on a Medicare Part D plan (you’re eligible for a free CMR)

Even if you’re younger, if you’re managing chronic conditions like depression, diabetes, or high blood pressure, an AMR can cut your risk of complications. One study found that patients with diabetes who had regular medication reviews reduced their ER visits by 41% over two years.

What Doesn’t Work

Not everyone needs this. If you’re healthy, take one prescription, and feel fine, you probably don’t need an annual review. But if you’re on a complex regimen-or if you’ve ever thought, "I don’t feel right, but I don’t know why"-then you do.

Also, reviews only work if you follow up. About 60-70% of patients who get a recommendation actually act on it. The ones who don’t often go back to the same problems: dizziness, confusion, falls, or hospital stays.

Communication gaps between pharmacists and doctors are still a problem. That’s why you need to ask: "Did you send my list to my doctor?" If not, call your doctor’s office and ask them to confirm they received it.

Cost, Access, and Next Steps

If you’re on Medicare Part D, your CMR is free. No copay. No deductible. You can schedule it at any pharmacy that offers Medication Therapy Management (MTM) services. Most chain pharmacies like CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid do. Independent pharmacies often do too.

If you’re not on Medicare, check with your private insurer. Many commercial plans now offer similar services, especially for people with chronic conditions.

To get started:

1. Collect all your medications-today.
2. Call your pharmacy and ask: "Do you offer Annual Medication Reviews?"
3. Schedule the appointment. It takes 30 minutes.
4. Bring your list. Be honest about what you take and what you skip.
5. Ask: "What can I stop? What should I change?"

Don’t wait until you feel sick. The best time to review your meds is when you’re feeling fine. That’s when you can catch problems before they become emergencies.

Real Impact: Stories from Real Patients

- A 68-year-old man was taking four different pills for acid reflux. The pharmacist found two were identical. He stopped one. His stomach felt better. He saved $180 a year.

- A woman in her 70s thought her memory lapses were normal aging. Turns out, a sleep aid she’d been taking for five years was causing brain fog. She switched to a non-drug option. Her recall improved in weeks.

- A man on blood thinners was taking ibuprofen daily for back pain. The pharmacist warned him: this combo can cause internal bleeding. He switched to acetaminophen and avoided a hospital trip.

These aren’t rare cases. They’re routine outcomes of a simple review.

Why This Matters Now

By 2030, all baby boomers will be 65 or older. That’s 73 million people-many on multiple medications. The CDC estimates that 1.5 million adverse drug events happen every year in the U.S. That’s not just numbers. That’s people falling, getting sick, ending up in hospitals-because a pill they didn’t need was still on their list.

Pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare professionals in America. You’re within five miles of one right now. And they’re trained to protect you from the hidden dangers in your medicine cabinet.

This isn’t about adding more appointments. It’s about making your current ones safer.