Why You Might Be Paying for Medications You Don’t Need
It’s not unusual to be taking more pills than you realize. Over time, prescriptions pile up-some for short-term issues that never got canceled, others for conditions that improved or disappeared. You might be on a medication your doctor prescribed five years ago for high blood pressure, but your numbers are now normal. Or maybe you’re still taking a sleep aid that stopped working after a few months, but no one ever asked if you still needed it.
These aren’t mistakes. They’re common. About 4 in 10 adults over 65 are taking five or more medications at once, a situation called polypharmacy. And while some of those drugs are essential, many aren’t. A 2021 study found that, on average, people bring in a list of medications and discover 2.3 they don’t actually need. That’s not just unnecessary risk-it’s unnecessary spending.
One $50-a-month pill you no longer need adds up to $600 a year. Two? $1,200. Three? That’s more than your annual gym membership, your car insurance deductible, or your yearly eye exam. And it gets worse: unnecessary medications increase your chance of falls, confusion, hospital visits, and even death. The good news? You can fix this-with your doctor.
What Deprescribing Really Means (And Why It’s Not Just Stopping Pills)
Deprescribing isn’t about cutting corners. It’s not about being cheap. It’s about making smarter choices. The formal definition is simple: stopping medications when the risks outweigh the benefits. That could mean stopping a statin if you’re no longer at risk for heart disease. Or ending a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) for heartburn that hasn’t bothered you in two years. Or ditching a vitamin D supplement after your blood test showed you’re not deficient.
It’s not about stopping everything at once. In fact, doing that can be dangerous. Some medications, like blood pressure pills or antidepressants, need to be lowered slowly. Stopping them too fast can cause rebound effects-your blood pressure spikes, your anxiety returns, your sleep gets worse. That’s why deprescribing is a process, not a single decision.
The goal is safety first, savings second. But the savings are real. Kaiser Permanente’s deprescribing program cut inappropriate medication use by 35% and saved $1.2 million in one year. For patients, that meant an average of $47 less spent per month on drugs they didn’t need. That’s not a drop in the bucket-it’s hundreds of dollars back in your pocket.
How to Prepare for Your Deprescribing Conversation
Most doctors don’t bring up deprescribing first. You have to. And you’ll have a much better chance if you show up prepared.
- Bring your whole medicine cabinet. Don’t just list prescriptions. Bring every pill, patch, liquid, and supplement-even the ones you haven’t taken in months. This is called a "brown bag review." Many patients find they’re taking things they forgot about, or duplicates they didn’t know they had.
- Write down costs. List each medication and how much you pay per month. You’ll be surprised how much you’re spending. Some people are shocked to find they’re paying $120 a month for a sleep aid their doctor no longer recommends.
- Ask yourself these questions for each drug:
- Why was this prescribed in the first place?
- Is it still helping? Have I noticed any improvement?
- Could it be causing side effects like dizziness, confusion, fatigue, or constipation?
- Can I stop it? Can I lower the dose?
- Who should I check in with if I do stop it?
Write these down. Bring them to your appointment. Studies show that when patients come in with a list, doctors are 68% more likely to have a serious conversation about deprescribing.
What to Say to Your Doctor (And What to Avoid)
Start with curiosity, not confrontation. Instead of saying, “I want to stop this,” say, “I’ve been thinking about my meds and wanted to check if any of these are still necessary.”
Use these exact phrases-they work:
- “I’m trying to reduce my medication costs. Can we look at which ones I really need?”
- “I’ve been feeling a bit foggy lately. Could any of these be contributing?”
- “I’ve read that some medications can increase fall risk. Are any of mine on that list?”
- “Is there a chance I could try going off this one slowly?”
Avoid saying things like, “I don’t want to take this anymore,” or “It’s too expensive.” Doctors hear those and assume you’re quitting because of cost alone-not because you’re thinking about safety. Frame it as a shared goal: better health, fewer side effects, lower bills.
Your doctor may not know all the latest deprescribing guidelines. That’s okay. You can mention the Beers Criteria-a widely accepted list of medications that should be avoided in older adults. Or reference the Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI), a tool doctors use to score how appropriate each drug is. You don’t need to be an expert. Just showing you’ve done your homework opens the door.
How the Process Actually Works
Once you and your doctor agree on a medication to stop, it doesn’t happen overnight. Here’s how it usually goes:
- Choose one drug to start with. Pick the one with the lowest risk and highest cost. A sleep aid? A supplement? A PPI? Start there.
- Set a taper plan. For some drugs, you might cut the dose in half for two weeks, then stop. For others, like antidepressants, you might reduce by 25% every 3 weeks. Your doctor will guide you.
- Monitor closely. Keep a simple journal: “Day 1: Felt fine. Day 5: Slight headache. Day 10: Sleeping better.”
- Schedule a follow-up. Most doctors will want to see you in 4-8 weeks after stopping a medication to check how you’re doing.
Some medications are safe to stop quickly. Others aren’t. Your doctor will know which is which. If you’re unsure, ask: “What should I watch for if I stop this?”
Real stories show this works. A 72-year-old woman in Ohio stopped three unnecessary pills during a brown bag review and saved $840 a year. Another person in Florida stopped a $90-a-month vitamin D supplement after a blood test showed normal levels-saving $1,080 annually. These aren’t rare cases. They’re becoming more common.
Where Else to Get Help (Beyond Your Doctor)
You don’t have to do this alone. Your pharmacist is a hidden ally.
Under Medicare Part D, most community pharmacies offer Medication Therapy Management (MTM) services for free. That means you can walk in, hand over your list, and ask: “Can you help me see if I’m taking anything I don’t need?” Pharmacists are trained to spot duplicates, interactions, and outdated prescriptions. One study found they identified $1,200 in annual savings per patient on average.
Also, check if your health plan has a Medication Review Program. Many Medicare Advantage plans now include them. They’ll send you a nurse or pharmacist to review your meds at home. No appointment needed.
And if you’re seeing multiple doctors? That’s a red flag. One 2022 study found patients who see three or more prescribers are 300% more likely to be on unnecessary medications. Ask your primary doctor to be the one who coordinates your care. If they won’t, ask for a referral to a geriatrician or a pharmacist specializing in medication reviews.
What Happens If You Try This on Your Own?
It’s tempting. You see a pill you haven’t taken in months. You think, “I’ll just skip it.” But that’s risky.
A 2022 survey by the National Council on Aging found that 18% of people who stopped medications without doctor guidance had bad reactions-dizziness, anxiety, rebound pain, high blood pressure. And those reactions cost an average of $1,200 in emergency care.
Deprescribing isn’t DIY. It’s a team sport. Your doctor knows your history. Your pharmacist knows your meds. You know how you feel. Together, you make the right call.
The Bigger Picture: Why This Matters Now
Medication costs have gone up 60% since 2014. For seniors on fixed incomes, prescriptions now eat up nearly 18% of their monthly income. That’s not sustainable.
But here’s the good part: deprescribing isn’t just saving money. It’s saving lives. Every year, 37% of medication-related hospitalizations in adults over 65 are preventable. That’s tens of thousands of trips to the ER that could have been avoided.
And the system is starting to catch up. Since 2023, Medicare has expanded coverage for medication reviews. The Inflation Reduction Act capped insulin at $35 a month-and that’s just the start. More insurers are now rewarding doctors for reducing unnecessary prescriptions. The future is moving toward smarter, safer, cheaper care.
You don’t have to wait for the system to change. You can start today. With one conversation. With one list. With one pill you no longer need.
What to Do Next
Here’s your simple 3-step plan:
- Collect. Gather every medication, supplement, and OTC pill you take. Write down the name, dose, and monthly cost.
- Ask. Call your doctor’s office. Say: “I’d like to schedule a medication review. I’m trying to reduce my pills and costs.”
- Follow up. After your appointment, write down what was decided. Set a reminder for your next check-in.
You’re not giving up on your health. You’re taking control of it. And you’re saving money in the process.
Deprescribing isn't just about cutting costs-it's about restoring physiological balance. Many older adults are on PPIs long after GERD resolves, or statins after LDL normalizes, without ever reassessing risk-benefit ratios. The Beers Criteria and MAI aren't just academic tools; they're clinical lifelines. I've seen patients regain cognitive clarity after discontinuing benzodiazepines they'd been on since 2010. The key is systematic tapering, not abrupt cessation. Always document baseline function and monitor for rebound symptoms. This isn't fringe medicine-it's geriatric pharmacology 101.
For anyone reading this and thinking, 'My doctor won't listen'-you're wrong. Doctors want to help, they're just overwhelmed. Bring the brown bag. Print out the Beers Criteria. Say, 'I'm trying to be proactive about my health.' Most will respond positively. I'm a pharmacist and I've walked 12 patients through this in the last month. One woman cut her med bill from $280 to $45. That's not magic-that's just doing your homework. You don't need to be an expert. You just need to care enough to ask.
It is of considerable interest to note that the phenomenon of polypharmacy among geriatric populations has been extensively documented in peer-reviewed literature since the early 2000s. The economic implications, while significant, are secondary to the clinical risks associated with drug-drug interactions and diminished renal clearance. A structured, longitudinal approach to medication reconciliation-ideally facilitated by a clinical pharmacist-is the gold standard. The referenced Kaiser Permanente data aligns with prior cohort studies demonstrating a 30–40% reduction in inappropriate prescribing when multidisciplinary reviews are implemented.
Let’s be honest-this article is just another feel-good piece from people who’ve never had to fight an insurance company for a $12,000 drug. You think your doctor cares if you’re paying $600 a year for a sleep aid? They’re paid by volume, not outcomes. And don’t even get me started on pharmacists-most of them are just glorified cashiers who don’t know the difference between a beta-blocker and a statin. This whole deprescribing thing is a Band-Aid on a hemorrhage. Real change requires systemic reform, not brown bag reviews.