The statistics are stark: It’s estimated that 40% of older Americans take 5 or more prescription drugs. Even if you manage to figure out which medication to take when, and with or without food, you could be putting yourself at risk for side-effects or drug interactions, especially when a new medication is added to your regimen. So you may want to consider another path: that of deprescribing.

Essentially, what deprescribing means is a thoughtful reconsideration and even elimination of some of the drugs you’re taking, in order to reduce the risk of side-effects and harmful drug interactions and set you on a more healthy and appropriate path. You may even feel better and save some money as a result. For a good overview of what’s involved and how you and your doctor can start down this path, open your medicine cabinet and start reading here. And you may want to explore Deprescribing.org, a website started by 2 Canadian geriatric care providers who are concerned about this issue and want to provide the latest research and updates on deprescribing. As pharmacist Dave Walker says, “a better-educated patient is a better-medicated patient.”