De-prescribing

Canadians are prescribed medications throughout their lives for a variety of conditions. These might be medications prescribed for a short period of time for a temporary illness (e.g. an antibiotic for an ear infection or an anti-inflammatory for a pulled muscle), while others might be started for a chronic condition (e.g. blood pressure medications for hypertension or an immune system modifier for arthritis). Sometimes, keeping track of your medications and who prescribed them can become a challenge.

Medications that were good when they started might not be the best choice now considering age or new innovative medications or therapies. De-prescribing is part of good prescribing – backing off when doses are too high, or stopping medications that are no longer needed.

Since North West Telepharmacy Solutions (NTS) does not dispense or distribute medications, our clinical pharmacists are in a great position to assist with de-prescribing as we do not have any conflicts of interest.