Matters to Consider when Reducing or Coming off Meds

A collection of cut and paste posts that have arisen out of various discussions, here, there and everywhere.


To my mind, medication is a tool but it's not the only tool. The question we have to ask ourselves in regard to any form of treatment (medication or otherwise) is, "Is this helping me? Am I getting better?"

Many people identify medication as something that helps them but even those who find it helpful don't like to take it. They only do so because it makes their life better, more tolerable, more managable. This is true in spite of whatever side effects may be present. Other people do not find medication to be helpful or the burden of the side-effects outweighs the benefits. These people may find it beneficial to consider taking a different medication or to try withdrawing from that class of drugs entirely. To help you determine which avenue might be best for you, you could try asking yourself these questions...

• Do you understand why you have been prescribed your medication? (What is it supposed to do for you?)
  
• Does it have any positive effects for you? (Is it doing what it's supposed to do?)
  
• Does it have negative effects? (How is it not helping you?)
  
• What alternatives might be available?

Whenever people are investigating medications I like to encourage them to look at medically oriented sites and consumer based sites because this can provide a bigger and more complete picture than only one perspective. Here's two links to get you started:

• Medically Oriented Site
  
  
• Consumer Oriented Site

Exploring your answers to the questions above can help prepare you for meeting with your pdoc and discussing the issue with him/her. I suggest that for now, you continue with your medication as prescribed but start researching and exploring your alternatives. By the time you're finished doing that, you'll probably have a better idea of what treatment options might work best for you personally.