Skip to content
Guides3 min read

When treatment changes: what to check when starting, adding or stopping a medication

Starting, adding or stopping a medication are the moments when a routine most easily falls apart. What to ask and what to update in each case.

Changes are the delicate moment

A routine that has worked for months almost always falls apart because of a change: a new medication, a different dose, one that is stopped.

The World Health Organization proposes five moments when a person, or whoever cares for them, can ask questions to use medication safely: when starting a medication, taking it, adding another, reviewing the treatment and stopping it.

WHO — 5 Moments for Medication Safety

When starting a medication

Before leaving the appointment or the pharmacy, it helps to have answers to these questions:

  • What is it called and what is it for?
  • How much should be taken, when, and for how long?
  • What effects can it have, and what should be done if they appear?

When adding one to those already taken

Bring the complete list of what is taken, including over-the-counter medications and supplements, and ask:

  • Is this medication needed on top of the others?
  • Can it interact with any of those already taken?

Blist reminds you when each dose is due and keeps count of what is left.Get Blist

When stopping one

Stopping a medication is also an instruction: do not stop it on your own, even if you feel better. First, ask:

  • When should it be stopped, and should it be done gradually?
  • Is there any other medication that is no longer needed?

Update the routine the same day

Every change has to reach every place the routine lives: the pill organizer, the list taken to appointments, the alarms and the people who help. If one part keeps the previous instruction, two versions of the same treatment can easily coexist.

How Blist helps

When a medication is edited in Blist, the change reaches the whole care circle: every member sees the new routine. Blist organizes what is entered; the instruction always comes from the healthcare professional.

Start wherever works best for you

Use Blist on iPhone or Android

Choose a platform to organize your medication or, with permission, support someone close to you.

Download Blist on the App StoreDownload Blist on Google Play
Send it to your family

You may also be interested in

Shared careSupporting without deciding for them: caring while respecting autonomyRead article GuidesHow to remember to take your medication: ways to organize the routineRead article GuidesPrintable medication sheet: how to fill it in and use it at homeRead article GuidesCount in days, not boxes: how to keep track of medication stockRead article GuidesPAMI electronic prescriptions: how to pick up medication at the pharmacyRead article Shared careHow to share caregiving among siblingsRead article GuidesGetting started with BlistRead article GuidesWhat to bring to a medical appointment when you go with someoneRead article Shared careWhat a care circle is and how it works in BlistRead article GuidesHow to organize your own or a family member's medicationRead article