What is a Medication review appointment?
All patients who take ADHD medication need to consult with a specialist for monitoring and we refer to this as a ‘medication review appointment’. The type of appointment is based on what you, feel you need. If starting medication, it’s best to budget for 2- 3 medication reviews for the first year, and if all goes well with your treatment and your response to medication, then this could reduce to 1 or 2 reviews a year. However, everyone is unique in how they respond to medicines, and so at times if it is necessary to change medications or change the dose the number of reviews may increase slightly but only if necessary
When do I book a Medication review?
On starting treatment, we like to review you around 4-6 weeks after you start your treatment Your initial review may take some time, especially if you wish to change treatment or discuss changes in greater detail, but equally many patients simply wish to change their dosage and this can be a fairly quick arrangement.
Will you prompt me to order medicine and book appointments?
Yes, we always prompt you, both to book a medication review appointment and we also prompt you 10 days before your prescription runs out to ask you if you would like to order a new one
What are the different types of medication review appointments?
As a rule, if your dose has been changed, then you should check in with us at 4 weeks by one of the following appointment types:
- TOMIS: The online Medication Intervention Service
- This an online clinical service, whereby you book the service online and are sent a clinical questionnaire to complete. This completed questionnaire is then passed to a Clinician who will review your medication, make any necessary adjustments to your treatment and contact you directly to update you (by email). TOMIS is reserved for patients who are happy for our clinicians to review their records/child’s records and submit the agreed questionnaire for us to adjust their medication. It is suitable if you are:
- Happy with your medication type- but looking to increase or reduce the dose (this includes if you have just started medication)
- Seeking minor changes to your medication dose, so as to achieve optimum symptom control. (i.e.. raising a 30mg dose to a 40mg dose)
- Seeking to be prescribed a similar alternative to your usual medication due to the current medication shortage crisis.
- Seeking to resume your medication treatment after a brief pause (6 months) caused by the medication shortage crisis.
- Looking for us to write to your child’s GP in order to request Shared Care.
- This an online clinical service, whereby you book the service online and are sent a clinical questionnaire to complete. This completed questionnaire is then passed to a Clinician who will review your medication, make any necessary adjustments to your treatment and contact you directly to update you (by email). TOMIS is reserved for patients who are happy for our clinicians to review their records/child’s records and submit the agreed questionnaire for us to adjust their medication. It is suitable if you are:
- MDAS: Medication Dosage Adjustment Appointment
- For patients who simply require an increase in their medication and there are no additional complications. The appointment will last 7 minutes and will be carried out on Microsoft Teams. We will send you the meeting link. Please DO NOT book this type of appointment if your case is complicated if you need to discuss side effects, or if you need an alternative medication. This may also be suitable for you if you have just started medication, and are happy with it, but need a simple dose increase
- Medication review 20 Minutes
- For people who may be having their first medication review after starting treatment or who need or prefer additional time to discuss ongoing care with a Clinical Specialist
- Medication review 40 Minutes
- This appointment is for patients who may be returning to our service after a prolonged break in care and who need additional time to review their medical history
Medication reviews can be booked here >>>
Appointments your clinicians can book
- Clinical Assistant appointment (free of charge)
- These appointments are for patients who are stable on their medication and where the Clinician feels they can be reviewed in 6-12 months. These appointments CAN ONLY BE arranged by the Clinician once they assess your stability: We aim to ensure you are stable as soon as possible so we can transfer you over to these 6 monthly reviews as we are very much aware of the financial implications of ADHD care
- ADHD Med check: Are you on track? Free of charge
- We also have a separate service called ‘Med check’ where a Clinician may choose to contact you after a while (if your medication is expected to be stable.) If this is appropriate your Clinician will advise you of this during your appointment. These appointments CAN ONLY BE arranged by the Clinician if they consider it suitable: