MEAT Evaluation: What It Is and Why It Matters for Medication Safety

When doctors and pharmacists talk about MEAT evaluation, a structured method to assess medication risks by focusing on four key areas: Medication, Evidence, Alternatives, and Timing. It's not a fancy acronym—it's a practical checklist used to keep people safe when they're on multiple drugs. Think of it like a quick audit: Are you taking something you don’t need? Is there a safer option? Did the timing of your doses cause a bad reaction? This approach doesn’t replace clinical judgment—it makes it sharper.

MEAT evaluation is closely tied to polypharmacy, the use of five or more medications at once, common in older adults and those with chronic conditions. The more pills you take, the higher the chance of something going wrong—like low sodium from SSRIs, heart rhythm issues from antiemetics, or bleeding risks from aspirin. That’s where deprescribing, the planned process of stopping or reducing unnecessary medications comes in. It’s not about cutting drugs cold turkey—it’s about removing what’s doing more harm than good. And drug interactions, when two or more medications affect each other’s behavior in the body are the silent killers here. Soy blocking thyroid meds. Mouth tape worsening sleep apnea. Sulfonylureas making you gain weight. These aren’t edge cases—they’re everyday risks that MEAT evaluation helps catch before they cause falls, confusion, or hospital stays.

What you’ll find below isn’t just a list of articles—it’s a real-world library of MEAT evaluation in action. Each post tackles a specific scenario where a drug’s benefit was outweighed by its risk, and how better choices were made. From stopping PPIs in seniors to swapping out digoxin for safer heart drugs, from tracking expiration dates on free samples to understanding how genetics change how your body handles generics—this collection shows you how MEAT evaluation works when it’s done right. No theory. No fluff. Just what works, what doesn’t, and what you need to ask your doctor next time you’re handed a new prescription.