ATLANTA: Elderly people have proved receptive to being de-prescribed medications, as part of a trial aimed at assessing the feasibility of withdrawal of medications among older people.
All 15 participants who started withdrawal of one selected drug over a two-month period understood the concept of de-prescribing and managed to stop or reduce the intake of the selected drug without complications.
The target drug was either anti-hypertension, anti-angina, diuretic or pain relief medication; on average one of nine taken daily by each participant.
The pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) is a precursor for larger trials in order to better understand the effect of gradual drug intake reduction on overall well-being, physical and mental health…