Medical schools prepare doctors for prescribing drugs, not deprescribing, and pharmaceutical companies do not develop protocols for helping people taper off prescription drugs. The lack of protocols for tapering from prescription drugs has also contributed to polypharmacy. The RxISK Polypharmacy Index can help you determine if you are taking too many drugs.
It is important to recognize that tapering can be a complex and challenging process, particularly for individuals taking multiple prescription drugs. Protocols for discontinuing drugs need to be individualized, and consumers (parents, guardians or caregivers) need to be prepared for withdrawal symptoms.
Psychiatric Drugs
With growing public awareness of harms associated with long-term psychiatric drug use, there is also a growing number of psychiatrists and other healthcare professionals who have developed protocols for deprescribing and provide recommendations for staying mentally healthy.
If you are considering tapering off a psychiatric drug(s), David Carmichael would be a good person to contact. He can set up a Zoom call with you to discuss your options.
David was on the SNRI (serotonin-norepinephrine reptake inhibitor) Effexor from 2005 until 2010. He tapered off Effexor over eight months, and has been off psychiatric drugs since September 2010.