Real-Life Example: How Medication Review Helps Families

Meet Harold, a 92-year-old man with heart failure who was taking 12 different medications every day. His daughter was worried about all the pills he needed to remember, and Harold was feeling confused and unsteady on his feet. Here’s how our medication review helped simplify his care and reduce his risks.

Harold’s Situation

Patient: Harold S., 92 years old
Main Health Problem: Heart failure (his heart doesn’t pump blood as well as it should)
Other Health Issues: Diabetes and low iron in his blood
Current Needs: Sometimes uses oxygen to help with breathing, lives at home with his daughter taking care of him

His Medication List Before Our Review

Harold was taking 12 different medications every day:

• Atorvastatin (cholesterol medicine)
• Metformin and Glipizide (diabetes medicines)
• Furosemide/Lasix (water pill for heart failure)
• Iron pills (for low iron)
• Lisinopril (blood pressure/heart medicine)
• Metoprolol (heart rate medicine)
• Aspirin (blood thinner)
• Omeprazole (stomach acid medicine)
• Docusate (constipation prevention)
• Multivitamin
• Melatonin (sleep aid)

What We Found During the Review

After carefully reviewing each medication, we discovered several problems:

Medications That Were Actually Causing Harm

• Cholesterol medicine (Atorvastatin): At Harold’s age with heart failure, this medication provided very little benefit but increased his risk of falls and muscle weakness
• Aspirin: The bleeding risk was much higher than any heart protection benefit for someone his age
• Sleep aid (Melatonin): The 3mg dose was too high and made him drowsy during the day, increasing fall risk

Medications With Dangerous Doses

• Diabetes medicines: Both were at doses too high for his age, creating a risk of dangerous low blood sugar
• Iron pills: He was taking three times daily when once daily works just as well with fewer side effects
• Stomach medicine (Omeprazole): Long-term use was causing nutrient problems and needed to be stopped gradually

Medications That Weren’t Working

• Constipation medicine (Docusate): Research shows this doesn’t work very well; a different approach would be better

Our Recommendations Made Simple

Stop These Medications Completely

• Cholesterol medicine (Atorvastatin)
• Aspirin

Reduce These Doses for Safety

• Diabetes medicine (Metformin): Cut in half
• Diabetes medicine (Glipizide): Cut in half
• Iron pills: Take once daily instead of three times
• Sleep aid (Melatonin): Much smaller dose

Gradually Stop This Medicine

• Stomach acid medicine (Omeprazole): Slowly reduce over 2 weeks to avoid rebound acid

Keep These Important Medicines

• Water pill (Furosemide): Essential for heart failure
• Heart medicines (Lisinopril and Metoprolol): Proven to help people with heart failure live longer
• Multivitamin: Safe and might help with nutrition

Make This Change

• Replace constipation medicine with a more effective option when needed

The Results

After implementing these changes, Harold experienced:

• Fewer side effects from unnecessary medications
• Less confusion from too many pills
• Reduced fall risk from medications that made him unsteady
• Better quality of life with a simpler medication routine
• Peace of mind for his daughter knowing his medications were safer and more effective

Important Safety Note

We provided clear instructions on how to make these changes safely, including which medicines to stop immediately and which ones needed to be reduced gradually. We also included two follow-up calls within 30 days to answer questions.

All medication changes must be discussed with and approved by your loved one’s doctors before making any changes.

Why This Matters for Your Family

This case study shows how medication review can help families like yours:

• Identify medications that might be causing more harm than good
• Reduce the number of pills your loved one needs to take
• Focus on medications that provide the most benefit
• Create a safer, simpler medication plan
• Give you confidence that their medicines are helping, not hurting

Many families tell us they wish they had done a medication review sooner. It’s never too late to make sure your loved one’s medications are as safe and effective as possible.

Ready to Learn More?

Schedule a free conversation with Nurse Peter to see how we can support you or someone you care about.

You don’t have to worry about medication safety alone. We’re here to help.