When you take too many drugs over time, some may no longer help—or they might even hurt you. That’s where deprescribing, the intentional process of reducing or stopping medications that are no longer beneficial or are risky. Also known as medication reduction, it’s not about quitting cold turkey—it’s about making smart, step-by-step changes with your doctor to protect your health. Many people, especially older adults, end up on pills they don’t need because each new condition gets a new drug, and no one ever steps back to ask if the original ones still make sense.
polypharmacy, the use of five or more medications at once. Also known as multiple drug use, it’s common in chronic illness, but it’s not always safe. Studies show that nearly half of seniors take at least five prescriptions daily. Some of those drugs interact, cause dizziness, lower kidney function, or even increase fall risk. Deprescribing isn’t about stopping everything—it’s about removing the ones that add more risk than reward. Think of it like cleaning out your medicine cabinet: keep what works, toss what doesn’t.
tapering medications, gradually lowering the dose to avoid withdrawal or rebound effects. Also known as medication withdrawal, it’s a critical part of deprescribing for drugs like benzodiazepines, antidepressants, or painkillers. Stopping these suddenly can cause seizures, anxiety spikes, or dangerously high blood pressure. A slow, planned taper—sometimes over weeks or months—makes all the difference. And it’s not just about the drug itself. It’s about your body’s response, your symptoms, and whether the original reason for the drug still exists.
Deprescribing doesn’t mean giving up on treatment. It means getting smarter about it. It’s asking: Is this pill still helping? Could it be causing more problems than it solves? Are there safer, simpler ways to manage this? The posts below show real examples: how to restart meds safely after a break, why some drug combos cause dangerous drops in blood pressure, and how genetic differences change how your body handles each pill. You’ll see how stopping one drug can improve sleep, reduce falls, or even help your kidneys work better. This isn’t theory—it’s practice. And it’s something you can talk about with your provider today.
