Helpful Links

Polypharmacy and Deprescribing Online Learning Module for Health Care Providers

This module, created by Bruyère Continuing Care, employs a fictional case to help improve understanding of polypharmacy and approaches for deprescribing. Learn how polypharmacy develops over time, as well as how to recognize common drug-induced symptoms and prescribing cascades.

5 Questions to Ask About Your Medications

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada suggests five questions to ask your health provider about your medications, especially if you are on a number of drugs.

Therapeutics Letter (Reducing Polypharmacy: A Logical Approach)

This letter discusses the issues around elders who are on a multitude of drugs and suggests that medication regimes should be challenged routinely.  Logical approaches to working with this problem are suggested.

MedStopper

Medstopper is a Canadian deprescribing web-based tool developed by a team of health professionals to help doctors and their patients look at a list of medications to decide if some should be stopped or changed. The medications are ranked in order with those least safe or effective at the top (consider stopping first) and colour-coded.

A practical guide to stopping medicines in older people

Best Practice Journal. A practical guide to stopping medicines in older people. Best Pract J 2010;27:10-23. 

Sleepwell

Sleepwell is a Canadian website that contains information to help people manage insomnia without relying on sleeping pills.

Do You Need All Those Meds? How To Talk To Your Doctor About Cutting Back

This report explores methods and steps that patients can take to start the deprescribing conversation with their health care professional.