Health rarely changes all at once.

It shifts slowly. A new diagnosis. A hospital stay. A new specialist added to the team. Maybe more fatigue than before. Maybe balance feels a little less steady. Maybe sleep is different. These changes are part of life.

What often stays the same is the medicine cabinet.

Prescription medications are usually reviewed during appointments. But over-the-counter medications and supplements often stay in place quietly. They feel familiar. Harmless. Part of the routine.

As health changes, those products deserve a second look too.

The Quiet Risk of Over-the-Counter Medications

Many over-the-counter medications are effective and appropriate when used correctly. The challenge is that they are easy to continue using without revisiting whether they still fit.

For example:

• Ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory medications may have been helpful for occasional pain, but with kidney disease, heart conditions, or certain stomach issues, they can carry more risk.

• Pseudoephedrine and similar decongestants can raise blood pressure, which matters more once hypertension becomes part of the picture.

• Some common sleep aids can increase confusion or fall risk, especially as memory or balance changes.

These medications are not “bad.” They just may not fit the same way they once did.

Supplements Can Shift the Picture Too

Supplements are another area where routines quietly grow.

A multivitamin becomes two. Fish oil is added. Magnesium is started. Something new is recommended by a friend.

Supplements are not regulated in the same way prescriptions are. Ingredient amounts can vary, and interactions with medications are common. As prescriptions are added or adjusted, supplements should be part of that conversation.

It is not unusual to find that a supplement made sense at one point but may need adjusting later.

Alignment, Not Elimination

This is not about throwing away prescriptions or stopping medications on your own. It is about alignment.

A medication and supplement plan should support your current health, not the version of your health from years ago. When new diagnoses are added, when blood pressure changes, when kidney function shifts, or when fall risk increases, the safest plan may need small adjustments.

Sometimes that means continuing everything confidently. Sometimes it means adjusting timing or doses. Sometimes it means removing something that no longer serves a purpose. The goal is clarity and safety.

Health evolves over time. The products in your medicine cabinet should evolve with it. Taking a moment to review over-the-counter medications and supplements, especially after a new diagnosis or health change, is a simple step that can prevent avoidable complications.

If your health has shifted recently, it may be worth asking whether everything you are taking still fits. Questions about medications or supplements? Contact us to learn how we can support you.

With care,
Abigail Wright, BCGP BCPS CDP PharmD MS FASCP
Founder, Wright Geriatric Consulting