Your Stories About Medications
Making deprescribing part of life when living with chronic illnesses:
Yves' story
Yves was taking multiple medications to manage his chronic conditions. He decided to start a conversation with his family doctor about deprescribing, to explore whether he could reduce or stop any of his medications.
We sincerely thank Yves for generously sharing his story with our Network.
Yves
Meet Yves, who recently retired and lives with chronic conditions
Yves was 60 years old and recently retired when his doctor discovered some minor issues with his thyroid. Although it was not causing him any symptoms, his doctor suggested he start a new medication. However, Yves was already taking many medications to treat bipolar disorder, Crohn's disease, kidney problems, and arthritis.
Yves was unsure about starting another medication. He had previously heard about deprescribing, the process of stopping or reducing the dose of certain medications, with the goal of maintaining or improving quality of life. He remembered this idea and asked his family doctor:
Do I need to add another medication?
Does getting older make me more sensitive to the effects of the many medications I am taking?
The first step: a conversation with a healthcare professional
Together, Yves and his family doctor decided that it would be safe to wait before starting a new medication for his thyroid. Instead, they opted to gradually lower the dose of quetiapine, a medication he was taking to treat bipolar disorder, as it can cause side effects like weight gain, drowsiness, and in rare cases, a drop in thyroid hormones. The effects of this first dose reduction were promising: Yves’ mental health stayed stable and his sleep apnea disappeared. He felt more energized and could exercise again. What’s more, his thyroid issues improved!
Encouraged by these first steps, Yves decided to review his other medications with his family doctor, and they involved a pharmacist as well. His objective: to make sure each of his medications was still of benefit to his health and not causing too many side effects. Together, they even began deprescribing a second medication.
When faced with the possibility of starting a new medication, Yves initiated a deprescribing conversation with his family doctor
Lessons from Yves’ deprescribing journey
Yves knows that this process takes time. He is taking it one step at a time—in collaboration with his healthcare professionals. Yves is motivated to make deprescribing part of his life to reduce his risk of suffering from medication overload. Medication overload means taking a combination of medications that could cause more harm than good. Read more about medication overload here.
Yves knows that solutions other than medications can help with certain health problems. For example, psychotherapy and support groups have helped Yves deal with his bipolar disorder and the pain caused by Crohn's disease.
Yves would like to remind all patients that medications need to be reviewed throughout life, especially as bodies become more sensitive to medications with age. His experience has taught him to listen to his body and talk about what he experiences with his healthcare professionals. He encourages all patients to do the same, and to ask their doctor or pharmacist any questions they may have.
