Polypharmacy is one of the biggest under-recognized risks in older adults. A careful review can reduce side effects, interactions, and medications you no longer need.
“Many symptoms people attribute to aging, fatigue, confusion, falls, poor sleep, are medication side effects. The first question is often whether a drug is causing the problem.”
By 65, the average Canadian takes five or more prescription medications. Each one added by a different specialist, each reasonable in isolation, but the combination can cause more harm than the conditions they treat.
I do thorough medication reviews: looking for interactions, duplications, drugs that are no longer indicated, and drugs that are causing the symptoms we're trying to treat. Where deprescribing is appropriate, I work with your GP and specialists to taper safely.
Over half of Canadians 65 and older take five or more medications. Drug-drug interactions multiply with each addition and are rarely well-modeled in clinical trial data.
Fatigue, cognitive fog, falls, urinary incontinence, constipation, depression, each has a long list of common medications as a possible cause. Identifying a culprit changes everything.
Stopping medications safely requires tapering, monitoring, and coordination. Done carefully, it improves quality of life for most people. Done carelessly, it causes rebound and withdrawal.
Full medication list including OTC drugs and supplements. Indication check, is each drug still needed? Interaction screening. Dose appropriateness for age and renal function. Side effect mapping: which symptoms might be drug-caused. Deprescribing candidates flagged and discussed.
I don't pull prescriptions unilaterally. I identify opportunities, build the case, and communicate clearly with your GP and any specialists involved. Most GPs welcome a second set of eyes on a complex medication list.
Where medications are genuinely needed, I optimize: timing, form, dose for age and kidney function. Where naturopathic tools can reduce dependence on a drug over time, blood pressure, blood sugar, sleep, I build that plan alongside.
A full medication review is a 90-minute conversation with prep. Follow-up at 6 and 12 weeks after any changes. Ongoing as your medication picture evolves.
Therapies I'd likely use
I can identify candidates and make the case, but I work collaboratively, not unilaterally. Most specialists are receptive when given clear clinical reasoning. Some drugs I can manage directly; others require coordination.
Long duration doesn't mean it's still indicated. Some long-term medications remain appropriate indefinitely; others were meant to be temporary and were never revisited. That's exactly what the review is for.
Yes, with appropriate caution. Those are the lists that most need review, and the ones I approach most carefully. I'll be clear about what I can assess directly and when I need specialist input.
I treat the totality of the person: body, mind, and spirit as one interconnected system. Naturopathic medicine gives me a wide toolbox: clinical nutrition, herbal medicine, acupuncture, IV therapy, somatic approaches, and more. I don't apply protocols; I look for the pattern underneath your symptoms and build care that fits your specific life.
