In a JAMA Internal Medicine Patient Page article, the process and reasons for medication deprescribing are presented in consumer language.
“It is common for people to be prescribed many medications and also to take over-the-counter treatments, vitamins, or supplements,” the authors write. “Medications are often started for a good reason, but sometimes they are continued when they are no longer helpful and may cause adverse effects. Slowly and carefully cutting down on unnecessary medications with a health care professional is called deprescribing.”
In question-and-answer format, patients learn the why, what, and how of medication deprescribing; why deprescribing is safe and “right for me”; and what some examples of deprescribing are.
