A medication review is a useful chance to ask how each medicine fits your parent’s current needs. Bring prescriptions, over-the-counter products, supplements and any concerns about how they are feeling. The categories below can help you prepare questions; they cannot identify the cause of a symptom or decide whether a medicine is right for someone.
Key Takeaways
Include every prescription, pharmacy purchase and supplement in a medication review. Ask the doctor or pharmacist how they work together, rather than relying on a medicine count to decide whether treatment is safe.
Ask whether kidney or liver function affects this person’s treatment and which monitoring is needed. Do not assume a dose is unsuitable solely because someone is older.
NSAIDs and sleep medicines are among the most commonly self-medicated and highest-risk medicine categories for seniors.
Warfarin and levothyroxine both interact significantly with other commonly taken drugs and supplements. Every prescribing doctor needs the full medication list.
A review can be useful whenever there are questions about medicines, new symptoms or a change in treatment. The care team can advise on timing.
Studies of medication use can provide background, but an individual review needs the person’s complete list, health history and recent symptoms. Ask the doctor or pharmacist to check for interactions, duplication and any monitoring that is due. Further reading: 2025 cross-sectional study published in Scientific Reports; 2024 study from AIIMS Raipur published in Cureus.
The way a medicine acts can vary with health, kidney or liver function and other products taken alongside it. Do not assume age makes a prescription unsuitable. Ask the prescriber to explain its purpose and how it should be reviewed.
These ten medicine categories offer a starting point for questions at a review:
Metformin (for Type 2 Diabetes)
If your parent takes metformin, ask which kidney checks are relevant, which symptoms need a call or urgent help, and what to do during illness or poor intake. Share the full medicine list and follow the written plan rather than changing treatment yourself. Further reading: Published metformin case review.
Amlodipine (for High Blood Pressure)
Ask what amlodipine is being used for, what changes in swelling or dizziness should be reported, and how blood pressure should be recorded if home monitoring is recommended. Do not withhold a dose unless instructed by the prescribing team. Further reading: Medication-use study.
Atorvastatin (for High Cholesterol)
If a statin is prescribed, ask about its expected benefit, interaction checks and which symptoms should be reported and how quickly. Describe new muscle discomfort or weakness to the treating team rather than assuming its cause. Further reading: Taking medicines safely as you age.
Aspirin (for Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention)
Ask why aspirin has been prescribed, how its benefits and bleeding risks apply to your parent and which concerns need urgent help. Keep the written contact instructions with the medicine list. Do not start or stop it based on a general prevention article. Further reading: Guidance on medicines of concern for elders; Medicines and elders.
Warfarin (for Blood Clot Prevention)
Ask the anticoagulation team about monitoring, interactions and what to do if another medicine or supplement is proposed. Request a written plan and contact details for missed doses, illness, urgent bleeding concerns and changes to eating habits. Further reading: Taking medicines safely as you age.
Omeprazole (for Acid Reflux)
Ask why omeprazole is needed, what symptoms to discuss, how long it should continue and when it will be reviewed. Include thyroid medicines, supplements and other treatments so the pharmacist can advise on interactions and timing. Further reading: Over-the-counter medicine precautions for elders.
Metoprolol (for Heart Conditions)
Ask why metoprolol has been prescribed, whether home pulse or blood-pressure records are needed, which personal limits apply and which symptoms should be reported. Any change or stopping plan must come from the prescriber. Further reading: Medicine categories of concern in elders.
Levothyroxine (for Thyroid Deficiency)
Ask the prescribing team how levothyroxine should be taken in relation to meals, other medicines and supplements, and when tests are due. Describe any new symptoms without using them to adjust the dose yourself. Further reading: MedlinePlus.
NSAIDs: Ibuprofen and Diclofenac (for Pain)
Before buying a pain medicine such as ibuprofen or diclofenac, ask the pharmacist or doctor to check suitability against your parent’s conditions and current prescriptions. Ask what duration, monitoring and alternatives are appropriate for this person. Further reading: Medicine categories of concern in elders.
Benzodiazepines and Sleep Medicines (for Anxiety and Insomnia)
If a sleep or anxiety medicine is being used, ask about its purpose, daytime alertness, relevant alternatives and review date. Do not stop a regular medicine abruptly or attempt a taper without the prescribing clinician’s instructions. Further reading: American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria 2023.
What This Means for Your Parents
A symptom may be related to a medicine, an illness or something else. Record when it began, any recent prescription changes and how it affects daily life. The doctor or pharmacist can interpret that information and advise on the next step.
If your parent is taking five or more medications, ask their doctor for a structured medication review.
Yodda can help organise consultations, practical reminders and agreed updates for family members. Its coordination team does not prescribe or change medicines. Confirm the support included in the chosen plan and use the plans page for current prices. Further reading: Yodda services; Yodda plans.
FAQs
Which medicines seniors take carry the highest fall risk?
Ask the doctor or pharmacist which of your parent’s medicines could affect alertness or balance. A personalised review is more useful than ranking entire medicine categories for everyone.