That Medicine Cabinet Might Be Scarier Than You Think

At the World Change Coalition, we typically share information and perspectives that can be helpful and supportive of women facing breast cancer and their families, caregivers and others. Today, we want to highlight that October 21st of each year is National Check Your Meds Day.

The last time you looked at the dates on your medication bottles was... well, I know I can't remember. You might find that half-empty antibiotic bottle from who knows when, a pain reliever that your pretty sure expired during the first Obama administration, and some mystery pills that might be vitamins or might be something that should've tossed years ago. If this sounds familiar, October 21st is your day. National Check Your Meds Day was established in 2017 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and honestly, it's one of those awareness days that can actually matter.

Here's the deal: you grab all your medications, prescriptions, over-the-counter stuff, vitamins, supplements, everything, and bring them to your local pharmacist for a review. Pharmacists have historically called these "brown bag" medication reviews because people literally showed up with brown paper bags full of their meds.

Why bother? Well, as many as half of American adults aren't taking their prescribed medications correctly, and medication-related issues send people to the hospital to the tune of about $100 billion a year. That's not just a healthcare system issue; that's real people getting sick because they did not recognize a potentially negative drug interaction or because they're taking something they don't need anymore.

Your pharmacist should be able to identify potentially dangerous drug interactions between your prescriptions and answer those questions you've not asked your doctor. Many pharmacies offer these reviews for free, especially if you use the pharmacy to fill your prescriptions.  Medicare even covers annual medication reviews.

Checking your medications is especially crucial if you're seeing multiple doctors or taking several medications. When you're juggling multiple prescriptions, the potential for dangerous interactions goes way up. Your cardiologist doesn't always know what your dermatologist prescribed, but your pharmacist sees the whole picture.

Major chains like CVS, Walgreens, Costco, and many independent pharmacies participate in National Check Your Meds Day, though you can schedule a medication review any time of year. Some insurance companies undertake annual medication reviews. So, dig through that medicine cabinet, toss everything in a bag (brown or otherwise), and have that conversation. Your future self will thank you.

As always, I thank you all for reading my blogs and following and supporting the World Change Coalition and our journey.  I miss you mom and love you always.  Richie