4 Safety Tips To Stop Taking Your Medications

Did you know that stopping your medications abruptly may not only worsen your health conditions but can also lead to potential side-effects or withdrawal symptoms? Many people stop taking medications to save on monthly health care cost. If you’re one of them, make sure to follow these tips to avoid any mishap.

   
   Consult your doctor first – Depending on your drug treatment, discontinuing your medication abruptly can lead to many side effects and can worsen your health condition. So it’s better to consult your doctor whether you need to stop taking a drug or need to continue it for some more time. 

   
    Discuss your medications with your doctor – Approximately 40% of people above the age of 60 take at least five prescription drugs in a day, including medications they no longer need. Some medications including:

a. Allergy medication are required during spring or fall season.

b.  Sleeping pills should be taken for short time period,

c.  Blood pressure medication should be stopped when it is at a normal range.

d.  Painkiller medications – do you still need a stronger one or you can take a milder one?

It can be any reason to discontinue your medication. But ensure discontinue your medication if your doctor is okay with it.

    
     Chart your discontinuation plan –You may need to stop or switch drugs due to lack of effectiveness or its side-effects. So if you’re switching your drug, you can do it immediately or you can start the newer one at a lower dose while slowly tapering off the first drug. However, make sure to consult with your doctor, especially if your drugs are from different classes. Make sure to ask your doctor about these:

a.  How long you need to take the drug?

b. Your daily dose and schedule

c. Expected outcomes

d. Common side effects, including if the drug is abruptly stopped

e. Cost of your drug and its generic availability

    
    Ask your doctor about your medications – You can discontinue some medicines immediately without any discontinuation plan. But there are many medications that need a taper i.e., slow reduction of dose. Tapers will help to avoid the side-effects that you might experience due to discontinuity of medications abruptly. If you still face some side-effects then make sure to consult with your doctor.

     

     Whatever your reason maybe, but most of the people discontinue their medications due to increasing cost of prescription drugs. To save your money, you can use prescription discount cards. These cards will help you to save up to 80% of your money on generic medications. You can click here for Free Rx Card Download