Staying Healthy
How can I reduce my number of daily medications?
On call
Q. I now take nine pills every day. My doctors have added new medicines over the years, but not once have they suggested stopping one of them. How do I know that I really need all of these medications indefinitely?
A. We are fortunate today to have many excellent medications to better treat chronic conditions and help ward off serious complications. But when a person is seeing multiple specialists or has been in the hospital (a time when prescriptions are often adjusted), it's common to end up with one or more new drugs without a clear indication about how long to continue taking them.
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About the Author

Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing
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