A brown bag medication review means bringing every medicine you take, in its original container, to a doctor, pharmacist or nurse who goes through it with you. That includes prescriptions, OTC medicines, vitamins, supplements, creams, inhalers and pill organizers. The goal: learn what you really take, check it's safe, and see if you can take fewer.
This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a federal health agency, describes the brown bag medicine review as a common practice. Patients bring all their medicines and supplements to a visit, and someone on the care team reviews them. The aim is to find out what each person is taking and how they're taking it. AHRQ says the process can uncover medicine errors and medicines missing from the record.
Why the actual bottles and not just a list? AHRQ's point is that only by seeing the containers and talking through how each one is taken can a clinician tell whether, and why, someone isn't taking a medicine as intended. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) notes that some doctors ask for this bag approach, while others are happy with a list of everything you take and the dose.
AHRQ's patient handout says to bring ALL your medicines, including:
Prescription medicines
Over-the-counter medicines
Herbal medicines
Vitamins and supplements
Creams, liquids, inhalers and anything you inject
All pills, in the bottles they came in, plus any pill boxes you use to organize them
NIA adds a few things people often forget, such as eye drops, vitamins and laxatives. If you keep a written medication list, bring that too. Our sister site has a medication list template if you don't have one yet.
Example gathering routine (for illustration only): use one bag per person. Check the bathroom cabinet, kitchen, nightstand, handbag and car. Include things taken only now and then, like sleep aids, pain relievers or allergy pills. Leave everything in its original container, even if it's nearly empty.
Ask when you book. Tell the office you'd like a medicine review and ask whether to bring the bottles or a list. AHRQ notes that the review may be done by the primary care clinician, a pharmacist or a nurse.
Check your Medicare drug plan. Medicare says plans with drug coverage must offer Medication Therapy Management to people who meet certain requirements, at no cost if you qualify. It usually includes a discussion with a pharmacist or health care provider to review your medicines. If you take drugs for more than one chronic condition, contact your plan to ask whether you're eligible.
Talk to your pharmacist. The FDA encourages telling your pharmacist about every medicine you use, especially if you use more than one pharmacy, and about anything you've stopped taking. Ask whether they can sit down with you and the bag.
AHRQ's toolkit for clinicians gives a good picture of what to expect. The reviewer may:
Ask when you take each medicine.
Ask you to show how you take it, for example by counting out the pills, talking through your pill box, pouring a liquid or using a syringe to show the dose, or demonstrating an inhaler.
Ask whether you've had trouble buying or taking any of your medicines.
Ask about anything you didn't bring, including over-the-counter products, vitamins, supplements and herbal medicines.
Be honest about how you really take each one, even if it's not what the label says. AHRQ notes that people often tell clinicians what they think they want to hear.
Through Medicare's program, you may also get a written summary of the review, a "Recommended To-Do List" and a "Medication List" to help you use your medicines well.
These are example questions, partly drawn from the FDA's tips for talking with your pharmacist. Adapt them to your situation:
What is each of these for, and do I still need all of them?
Does anything here take the place of something else I'm taking?
Could any of these interact with each other, or with foods, drinks or supplements?
Am I taking each one the right way and at the right time of day?
Could I take fewer medicines?
Are there cheaper options or generics?
What side effects should I watch for, and which are serious?
Which of these have expired, and how should I get rid of them?
Can I have a written summary of any changes?
AHRQ's toolkit says every patient can benefit and should have a brown bag review once a year, and some people may need one several times a year. It singles out people who haven't had a review in the past year and people whose medicines changed recently.
Between reviews, Medicare suggests bringing your medication list any time you talk with your doctors, pharmacists and other providers, or if you go to the hospital or emergency room.
Update your medication list the same day so it matches what was agreed.
Don't stop or change a medicine because of something you noticed while filling the bag. Ask the doctor or pharmacist first.
Ask the pharmacist how to dispose of anything expired or no longer needed.
Share the updated list with family members who help with medicines.
If you help a parent with medicines, our sister site's medication checklist for aging parents covers the wider routine. If you think someone has taken the wrong medicine or too much, call their doctor or pharmacist right away, and call 911 in an emergency.
If you have Medicare drug coverage and qualify for Medication Therapy Management, Medicare says those services come at no cost to you. Otherwise, ask your doctor's office or pharmacy how they handle it.
AHRQ says it may be the primary care clinician, a pharmacist or a nurse.
Yes. AHRQ's handout asks you to bring all pills in the bottles they came in and any pill boxes you use to organize them.
DoseBeacon: Pill Reminder keeps one medication list for prescriptions, OTC medicines, vitamins and supplements, and it can scan a pharmacy label to create a draft entry that you review before reminders turn on. It can also make 7-, 30- or 90-day PDF reports for doctor visits to bring along with the bag. It's free with optional Family subscriptions, has no ads, and keeps your data on your device unless you create or join a Care Circle.
Get DoseBeacon free on the App Store
How To Prepare for a Doctor's Appointment (National Institute on Aging)
Safety checks, drug management programs, and Medication Therapy Management (Medicare.gov)
Stop, Learn, Go: Tips for Talking with Your Pharmacist (FDA)