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    Medicine Reviews: How Your Pharmacist Can Help Optimise Your Treatment
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    Medicine Reviews: How Your Pharmacist Can Help Optimise Your Treatment

    Taking multiple medications? Our free NHS medicine use reviews help ensure your prescriptions are working effectively together.

    15 December 2025•4 min read

    If you take regular medications, you may benefit from a Medicine Use Review (MUR): a free NHS service where our pharmacist reviews all your medicines to ensure they're working effectively and safely together.

    What is a Medicine Use Review?

    A Medicine Use Review is a structured consultation between you and a pharmacist. During this private, one-to-one discussion, we'll:

  1. Review all the medicines you're currently taking
  2. Check you understand what each medicine is for
  3. Discuss how and when you take your medicines
  4. Identify any problems or side effects you're experiencing
  5. Answer any questions you have about your treatment

    6. Why Medicine Reviews Matter

    Research shows that many patients don't take their medicines as prescribed, sometimes unintentionally, sometimes deliberately. Common issues include:

  6. Forgetting to take doses
  7. Confusion about what each medicine is for
  8. Experiencing side effects but not reporting them
  9. Stopping medicines because they don't seem to be working
  10. Duplicate medicines from different prescribers

    11. A medicine review helps identify and resolve these issues, improving both your health outcomes and your quality of life.

    Who Should Have a Medicine Review?

    You may particularly benefit if you:

  11. Take multiple regular medications
  12. Have recently left hospital
  13. Have been prescribed a new medicine
  14. Are experiencing side effects
  15. Have difficulty remembering to take your medicines
  16. Have questions about your treatment

    17. What Happens During the Review?

    Medicine reviews take place in our private consultation room. A typical review takes 10-15 minutes and covers:

  17. **Your medicines list**: We'll go through each medicine, including any you buy over the counter
  18. **How you take them**: Times, with food or without, any difficulties swallowing
  19. **How well they work**: Whether you're seeing the expected benefits
  20. **Any concerns**: Side effects, interactions, or questions
  21. **Practical issues**: Trouble opening bottles, reading labels, or remembering doses

    22. After Your Review

    Following your medicine review, we may:

  22. Provide a written summary for your records
  23. Suggest speaking to your GP about certain medicines
  24. Recommend practical aids like dosette boxes
  25. Arrange a follow-up review

    26. Book Your Free Review

    If you take regular medicines and haven't had a review recently, speak to our team at Ditchling Pharmacy. This free NHS service could help you get more from your treatment and improve your wellbeing.

    Ready to take the next step?

    Our friendly team is here to help with all your healthcare needs.

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