You’ve written about older people taking too many medicines. My parents were each on 14 different drugs in their nineties! I kept begging them to speak with their doctor, but his answer was always, “if it’s working, don’t stop.” To me this attitude seemed unscientific and stupid.

When they went into assisted living, the doctor there reduced their medications to the only two medicines they each really needed. As a result, both of them felt much better.

My dad had been on three different drugs to combat the side effects of a prescription he didn’t need to begin with. I understand that doctors don’t want to mess with success, but this is totally ridiculous.

Your parents’ experience is not as unusual as it might seem. Many older people end up taking a fistful of drugs, leading to an increased risk for side effects and interactions. Many doctors, PAs and nurse practitioners are reluctant to remove drugs from a long list. We hear the phrase “don’t mess with success” far too often. What does “success” mean?

Many physicians worry that if they start cutting back on the number of prescriptions someone is taking, there could be problems. The mantra above: “If it’s working, don’t stop,” is far too common. Is that always true?

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine (Feb. 6, 2023) showed that “deprescribing” can be done safely without triggering adverse events, hospitalizations or increased deaths. It’s not a do-it-yourself project, though, and must be supervised by a knowledgeable healthcare professional. – Peoples Pharmacy