Have you ever heard your doctor use the word “deprescribe?”
in Drugs 
I have been a doctor for over 20 years. I can tell I never heard it in medical school, residency or fellowship, and I have never heard a colleague use it. Why is that?
Our medical culture is far too focused on prescribing medications to temper our symptoms or make our lab numbers look better. The result is we frequently fail to see if the medication actually helps us achieve better heath.
A recent article in express.co.uk gives us hope that we are starting to change this.
Express: GPs in mission to halt pill-popping menace
The article explains how hundreds of primary care doctors in the UK are joining forces to publicly emphasize the importance of lifestyle changes over drug prescriptions. A movement like this cannot come soon enough.
In the U.S., for instance, it is estimated that 60% of the adult population takes a prescription drug, and 15% take more than five. This is despite the fact that nutrition and exercise are equally or more effective than drugs for treating common conditions such as depression and hypertension.
An even bigger example is the prescription of statins for lowering cholesterol. The UK study cited 11 million prescriptions in 2007 increasing to 37 million in 2017 for atorvastatin alone. This is despite the fact that treating 217 people for five years with a statin prevents only one heart attack.
Said another way, 216 of those taking statins did not benefit, yet still had the potential for side effects and had the cost and inconvenience of taking the drug. Based on those numbers, it is long overdue for us to reevaluate our statin use.
And just to show no drug is completely safe, even aspirin is more complicated than we thought. Recent studies in NEJM showed aspirin has no overall benefit for primary prevention in those with diabetes, and two studies showed no benefit for those over age 70.
What can we make of all this? It is encouraging that groups of doctors are speaking out in favor of lifestyle, not drugs, as first line treatment. Combined with the growing body of evidence that low carb diets can reverse type II diabetes, the movement for fewer prescriptions allows doctors to focus on what really works- nutrition, physical activity, sleep hygiene, stress management, and other essential healthy lifestyle practices.
Next time you see your doctor, ask them when the last time was they used the word “deprescribe.” Hopefully, just by asking the question, you will help your doctor use that word more often in the future. That’s a movement I can support!
Thanks for reading.
Bret Scher, MD FACC
Earlier
Is low carb the best treatment for reversing diabetes?
Does cholesterol cause heart disease? New study says no
Guides
Type 2 diabetes
![My low-carb story with Marc Gossange]()
![Living low carb with Chris Hannaway]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
!["I have been following the wrong advice!"]()
![How to help patients reverse type 2 diabetes]()
![Living low carb with Yvonne Lane]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![LCHF and diabetes: science and clinical experience]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![The essential problem with type 2 diabetes]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![How to prevent chronic disease – Dr. Trudi Deakin]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Why low-fat diets don't work — Dr. Jason Fung's diabetes course]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![80 pounds lighter and no medications]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Diet & diabetes – how to normalize your blood sugar]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![The science of low carb]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Everything goes in the right direction]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Weight loss and type 2 diabetes reversal on low carb – is it sustainable?]()
![What's it like being a low-carb doctor on TV?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
!["We are not designed to be chronically ill"]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![The problem with sugar]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Trouble shooting high blood-glucose levels]()
Low carb
- MEMBERS ONLY
!["I sort of wanted to save the world"]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Q&A with Franziska Spritzler]()
![Low-carb tips with team Diet Doctor – Traveling]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Why a low-carb diet and other questions]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
!["A more pleasurable way to live"]()
![A global food revolution]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Low-carb living]()
![7 tips to make low carb simple]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![How to formulate a low-carb keto diet]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Living low carb with Caroline Smale]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Everything in moderation?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![The cause of obesity]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![The latest science behind a keto diet]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Are there potential dangers with a low-carb diet?]()
![Women's questions introduction]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![The three top most common myths about low carb]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Low carb explained]()
![Q&A with Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt]()
