Many people take multiple medications every day-some because they’re necessary, others because no one ever asked if they still needed them. If you’re on five or more prescriptions, you’re not alone. About 41% of adults over 65 are taking that many, and many of those pills aren’t helping anymore. Worse, they’re costing you hundreds-or even thousands-of dollars a year, and sometimes making you sicker. The good news? You don’t have to keep taking them. Working with your doctor to deprescribe-safely stopping medications that no longer serve you-can cut your drug bills, lower your risk of side effects, and even improve how you feel.

What Deprescribing Really Means

Deprescribing isn’t just quitting pills. It’s a careful, step-by-step process where you and your doctor review every medication you take and decide which ones you can safely stop. This isn’t about skipping doses or going cold turkey. It’s about removing drugs that no longer match your current health needs. Maybe you’re taking a blood pressure pill that’s no longer needed because your numbers are stable. Or a sleep aid you started five years ago and forgot to stop. Or a supplement your cousin swore by but your doctor never approved.

The goal? Reduce harm. Reduce cost. Keep you healthier. The American Academy of Family Physicians says that on average, a brown bag review-where you bring all your meds to your appointment-uncovers 2.3 unnecessary drugs per person. That’s not a small number. That’s real money. A $50-a-month pill you don’t need? That’s $600 a year gone. Skip three of those, and you’ve saved $1,800. Plus, you’re less likely to end up in the hospital from a bad reaction.

Why You’re Probably Taking Too Many Pills

You didn’t get here by accident. It’s a system problem. Doctors often prescribe medications for one condition-say, acid reflux-without realizing another doctor prescribed something for a different issue that now clashes with it. Or you started a drug years ago, felt better, and never went back to check if you still needed it. Some meds lose their benefit over time. Statins, for example, may not help someone with a limited life expectancy. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for heartburn are often taken for years, even though studies show they can increase your risk of pneumonia and bone fractures after just a few months.

And then there’s the cost. Between 2014 and 2019, prescription drug prices jumped 60%. For seniors on fixed incomes, medication costs eat up nearly 18% of their monthly income. A 2022 Medicare report found that nearly 37% of hospitalizations in adults over 65 were caused by medication problems-most of them preventable. That’s not just a health issue. It’s a financial one.

Your First Step: The Brown Bag Review

Before your next appointment, grab every pill, capsule, patch, and bottle you take. Include over-the-counter drugs like ibuprofen, antacids, and sleep aids. Don’t forget supplements-vitamin D, fish oil, herbal remedies. Even if you think they’re harmless, they can interact with prescriptions. Put them all in a brown paper bag (or any bag). Bring it to your doctor.

This simple act changes everything. In one study, patients who did a brown bag review had an average of 2.3 unnecessary medications identified. One woman in Ohio stopped three pills she didn’t need: a $120/month sleep aid, a $45/month supplement her cardiologist said was redundant, and a $20/month herbal remedy she’d been taking since her husband died. Her annual savings? $840. And she slept better without the sleep aid.

Your doctor will use tools like the Beers Criteria-a list of 53 medications that are risky for older adults-to spot trouble. They’ll also check for overlapping effects. For example, if you’re taking two drugs that both cause dizziness, you’re at higher risk of falling. One of those might be the problem.

Ask These Five Questions

Don’t wait for your doctor to bring it up. Be ready. Here are five questions to ask about every medication:

• Why am I taking this?
• What’s the benefit? What’s the risk?
• Can this cause falls, confusion, or memory problems?
• Can I stop it-or reduce the dose?
• Who should I call if I feel different after stopping?

These aren’t just questions. They’re your rights. If your doctor brushes you off, ask for a referral to a pharmacist who specializes in medication reviews. Under Medicare Part D, most community pharmacies offer free Medication Therapy Management (MTM) services. These pharmacists can spot duplication, interactions, and cost-saving alternatives. One study found they identify an average of $1,200 in annual savings per patient.

How Deprescribing Actually Works

You won’t stop everything at once. That’s dangerous. Instead, you’ll tackle one medication at a time. Your doctor will create a tapering plan-gradually lowering the dose over weeks or months. For example, if you’re on a benzodiazepine for sleep, they might reduce your dose by 10% every two weeks. If it’s a blood pressure pill, they’ll monitor your numbers closely.

Some medications are easier to stop than others. PPIs? Often fine to stop after a few weeks. Antidepressants? Need slow tapering. Blood thinners? Never stop without supervision.

The key is monitoring. You’ll need to check in with your doctor after each change. Watch for symptoms: increased anxiety, trouble sleeping, higher blood pressure, or new aches. If something feels off, call your doctor. Most side effects from stopping a drug show up within the first two weeks.

Real Savings, Real Stories

A Reddit user named SeniorSaver87 stopped a $90/month vitamin D supplement after a blood test showed his levels were fine. He also quit a $75/month herbal remedy for joint pain that his doctor said had no proven benefit. Total annual savings: $1,980.

Another patient in California discontinued two cholesterol-lowering drugs after her doctor reviewed her 10-year heart risk score. She was low risk. The pills weren’t helping. She saved $1,440 a year and noticed her muscle pain disappeared.

Kaiser Permanente ran a program that helped over 10,000 seniors deprescribe. They cut inappropriate medication use by 35%, reduced hospital visits by 28%, and saved $1.2 million in a single year. On average, patients saved $47 per month in medication costs.

What Can Go Wrong-and How to Avoid It

The biggest risk? Doing it alone. A 2022 survey by the National Council on Aging found that 18% of people who stopped meds without doctor help ended up in urgent care or the ER. One man quit his antidepressant cold turkey and had severe anxiety, dizziness, and insomnia. His ER visit cost $1,200-more than the yearly cost of the drug.

Another problem? Fragmented care. If you see multiple doctors, each might prescribe something new without knowing what the others gave you. That’s why bringing your full list to every appointment matters. Ask your primary doctor to be your coordinator. If you’re on Medicare, you can request a Medication Therapy Management session every year-no extra cost.

What’s Changing in 2025

The rules are shifting. The 2023 Inflation Reduction Act capped insulin at $35/month and expanded coverage for medication reviews. Medicare Advantage plans now include medication safety in their quality ratings-meaning doctors and health systems get paid more if they help patients deprescribe safely.

New tools are coming too. AI-powered apps like MedStopper are being used in over 120 hospitals to flag risky or redundant prescriptions. They’re 89% accurate at spotting cost-saving opportunities. In the next few years, these tools will likely be available to patients through their portals.

Your Action Plan

Here’s what to do now:

1. Collect every medication you take-prescription, OTC, supplement. Write down the dose and why you take it.
2. Look up the monthly cost of each. Add them up. That’s your current bill.
3. Call your doctor’s office and ask for a “medication review appointment.” Say you want to discuss deprescribing.
4. Bring your bag of meds to the appointment. Ask the five questions listed above.
5. Agree on one medication to try stopping first. Get a tapering plan and follow-up date.
6. After stopping, track how you feel. Note any changes-good or bad.
7. Follow up with your pharmacist. Ask if they offer free MTM services.

Final Thought: Your Health Is Worth More Than the Price Tag

Medications aren’t cheap. But the cost of taking the wrong ones is higher. Side effects, falls, ER visits, hospital stays-they add up faster than any pill. Deprescribing isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about getting smarter. It’s about making sure every pill you take is doing real work for you. And if it’s not? You deserve to stop.

You’re not just saving money. You’re reclaiming your health.