By Melissa Ganje, FOX 21 News
with photojournalist Jeff Ernewein

DULUTH - If you're taking multiple medications to treat an illness or improve your quality of life, drug interactions or negative side effects can be a problem.  Now, a service at SMDC can help make sure the medication you're on is effective and safe for you.

It's called Medication Therapy Management, a service offered at SMDC for the past 5 years but not many patients are aware of it.  "I think there are a lot of people that don't know about medication therapy management, what it is and how they can benefit from it," said SMDC Doctor of Pharmacy Audrey Imberg.  So what is medication therapy management or MTM?  Dr. Imberg says it's a service provided by pharmacists, designed to help people get the most out of their medications  "So basically we sit down with a patient and we review all the medications the person is taking," said Dr. Imberg.  From prescriptions, over the counter medications and vitamins.  Dr. Imberg says the pharmacist then evaluates those medications in four key areas; it's purpose, what condition it is treating?  Is the medication effective in treating that condition?  Safety- the pharmacist looks for adverse drug interactions and makes sure the dosage is right for you and is the medication convenient and easy for the patient to take?  "It's actually been proven in some clinical trials that this Medication Therapy Management service actually reduces re hospitalization rates, reduces emergency room visits and therefore reduces overall health care spending," said Dr. Imberg.

Ann Munthe of Cotton says, "There needs to be more done to let everybody know that this exists."  Munthe and her husband Andy didn't know about the service until recently, meanwhile, Andy spent the past 2 years suffering from side effects from his medications.  "When you are on a couple high blood pressure meds and you are on Metformin for pre diabetes and Statins for cholesterol, they all start interacting," said Ann Munthe.  So they made an appointment with a pharmacist for Medication Therapy Management.  "His immediate response was don't let him take any more Statins and he said you are being overdosed, cut it in half!" said Ann Munthe.  Since then, Andy's health has improved.  "He's made such a visible change in 3 weeks," said Ann Munthe.  Andy Munthe says, "I feel a lot better, I'm able to walk in the woods and not stumble around my legs are getting better, the pain is really dissipating and I feel more freedom about my life now than I have in the last 2 years."

Medication Therapy Management is covered by many insurance plans and is available to anyone from children to seniors.  You don't need a referral to make an appointment.