Many folks are concerned about stopping medications but stopping some unnecessary medications may be beneficial and quite frankly may cause “no change” in how you feel, no drama, and no return of symptoms. 

I remember a friend of mine would often say, “I’ll take boring, no drama, it’s such a good thing when everything is going along just fine.” Who could argue with this, especially when our kids were growing up and playing sports? No drama meant no emergency visits for broken bones, concussions, or an illness. Everyone was doing well.

Many folks are concerned about stopping medications but stopping some unnecessary medications may be beneficial and quite frankly may cause “no change” in how you feel, no drama, and no return of symptoms. 

In health care, medicine and treatment is evidence-based, meaning it needs to be proven that it is beneficial, makes someone better, or at least more people better than a placebo. As stated in many of my blogs up to this point, medications can certainly have wonderful effects allowing us to live longer and provide a quality of life. Not wanting quality to change, deprescribing is better when it occurs before some drama happens. 

When having your medications reviewed with your health care providers think beyond the present time and ask about how well your body can use and eliminate the medication. Could the medication build-up to a toxic level if your kidneys are not functioning as well? Could a medication increase your risk of falls? Do you still need the medication to remain healthy or have you made lifestyle changes that the medication could be reduced or stopped? Or could the medication become more harmful, now that you are older, and a safer medication should be used instead?

When evaluating how well you are feeling after a medication has been deprescribed think about:

How do I feel? _____No different

                            _____Not so good because _________________________

                            _____Better, I notice that ___________________________

It’s important to note that “No different” or “No change” could be a good thing. “No different” could be just as good of an outcome for an individual as “Better”. It could very well be that the medication is no longer necessary. 

Remember that deprescribing is a thoughtful step-by-step process, with your health care providers, to monitor and evaluate outcomes. Keep reading my blog each week to learn more about deprescribing for a better, healthier you.