It can be tricky!! Remember First, Do No Harm!

• Medications need regular reassessment as patients age. More than 40% of adults over 75 take at least five prescription drugs. Changes in health, frailty, and medication tolerance can shift the balance from benefit toward harm, increasing falls, hospitalizations, and other complications.
• Deprescribing means carefully reducing inappropriate treatment. The article cites research in nursing home residents reporting reductions in mortality and falls after unnecessary prescriptions were reduced. The goal is to preserve useful therapies while removing drugs whose risks outweigh their benefits.