Starting a Deprescribing Review: Who It Is For and What to Bring

A deprescribing review is a planned, supervised look at every medication you take, led by a pharmacist, to find doses that can be lowered and medications that may no longer be helping or may be causing harm. At NutriChem Pharmacy in Ottawa, Adam Livingston, PharmD, RPh has led the deprescribing program since 2017. Nothing is stopped on your own: every change is planned, shared with your prescriber, and followed up.

What it is: A pharmacist led review of all your medications, with a written plan for any dose reduction or stop.
Who leads it: Adam Livingston, PharmD, RPh, Designated Pharmacy Manager; the program has run since 2017.
Who it is for: Adults taking several medications, anyone with side effects or an unclear reason for a medication, and older adults.
Where: NutriChem Pharmacy & Retail Store, 2599 Carling Ave, Ottawa, in person, or by phone or video.
Your prescriber: Stays involved; the plan is shared with your physician or nurse practitioner, and a decision to stop a medication is made with them.
Cost: Confirmed when you book; Ontario funds a yearly MedsCheck review for people who qualify (see Cost and coverage).

What a deprescribing review is

Deprescribing is the planned and supervised process of lowering the dose of a medication, or stopping it, when it may be causing harm or may no longer be of benefit. It is part of good prescribing. A medication that was the right choice when it was started is not always the right choice years later: a short course that was never stopped, a dose set for a different body weight or kidney function, or a medication added to treat the side effect of another one.

A review at NutriChem looks at each medication for its reason, its benefit, its risk, and whether the reason still applies. The review is not an argument against medication. Many people leave with most of their medications unchanged and a clear reason for each one they keep. We listen, we take what you are experiencing seriously, and we put the plan in writing.

Who a deprescribing review is for

A deprescribing review suits people whose medication list has grown over time, and people who feel worse than their conditions explain. It is worth booking if any of these describe you:

You take several prescription medications, often five or more, for more than one condition.
You are an older adult. Age changes how the body handles many medications, and a dose that was right at 50 may be too high at 75.
You have side effects such as dizziness, confusion, fatigue, falls, or memory changes that could be medication related.
You are not sure why you still take one of your medications, or it was started years ago for a problem that has since resolved.
You want to know whether your medications interact with each other or with the vitamins, supplements, or herbal products you take.

A review is not the right first step for an urgent reaction. If you have a severe or sudden side effect, contact your prescriber or seek emergency care, then book a review once you are stable.

Medications that often come up in a review

Some medication groups come up in a deprescribing review more than others because they are often continued past the point where they help. In NutriChem’s program these have included acid reducing medications (proton pump inhibitors) taken for longer than the usual course, sleeping pills and sedatives in the benzodiazepine family, antipsychotic medications, opioid pain medications, and blood pressure medications in older adults.

A medication on this list is not a medication to stop. It is a medication worth a question, and the answer depends on you: your condition, your other medications, and what you want from your treatment.

What to bring to your first visit

The review is only as complete as the list it starts from, so the first visit begins with everything you take. Bring:

Your prescriptions.

Every prescription medication, in its original container, or a complete list with the name, strength, and how and when you take it.

Over-the-counter medications.

Every non prescription product: vitamins, minerals, supplements, herbal products, and over the counter medicines.

Care team info.

The names of the physicians, nurse practitioners, or specialists who prescribe for you, so the plan can be shared with them.

Recent visit summaries.

Any recent lab results or hospital discharge papers you have.

Your own questions.

What bothers you about your medications, and what you want to feel better, are the questions the review is built around.

How the review works

A consultation to understand your health goals and your medication history, in person at Carling Avenue or by phone or video.
Our pharmacist reviews each prescription for its reason, its benefit, its safety, and its interactions with the rest of your list.
You receive a written plan: which medications stay, which doses could be lowered, which medications could stop and in what order, and where a gradual taper is needed. Where the evidence supports it and nothing interacts, the plan can include natural supports such as vitamins, minerals, or botanical medicines; our clinical pharmacists work alongside our naturopathic doctors on this part. The personalization doesn’t stop at the recommendation.
The plan is shared with your prescriber. In Ontario a pharmacist can adjust a dose or how a medication is taken within the authority the province gives pharmacists, and must notify your prescriber when they do. A decision to stop a medication is made together with the physician or nurse practitioner who manages that condition.
Follow up visits check how you are responding, watch for withdrawal effects or the return of symptoms, and adjust the plan.

What the review does not do

It does not stop a medication on its own. No medication is stopped without a plan, and without the prescriber who manages the condition.
It does not promise fewer medications. Some reviews end with every medication kept and a clearer reason for each one.
It does not replace your physician, specialist, or nurse practitioner. We sit in the middle: between you and your prescribers, so you do not have to piece your healthcare together.
It does not treat supplements as replacements for prescriptions. A natural support is added only where the evidence supports it and where it does not interact with what you take.

Cost and coverage

Ontario funds a MedsCheck medication review with a pharmacist once a year, at no cost to the patient, for anyone taking three or more prescription medications for an ongoing condition, for anyone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and for residents of long term care homes. The cost of your review is confirmed when you book.

Frequently asked questions

Is deprescribing safe?

Deprescribing is safe when it is planned and supervised. Some medications must be tapered rather than stopped, because stopping suddenly can cause withdrawal effects or bring the original condition back. That is why no medication is stopped on your own, and why every change in the plan is followed up.

Can a pharmacist stop my medication in Ontario?

A pharmacist in Ontario can adapt a prescription, which means changing the dose, the form, the schedule, or the route, and can renew it; the pharmacist notifies your prescriber of a renewal and of any adaptation that matters to your care. A decision to stop a medication is made with the physician or nurse practitioner who manages that condition, with our pharmacist’s written recommendation in hand.

Do I need a referral from my doctor?

You can book a review by contacting the pharmacy directly. If your physician or nurse practitioner suggested it, bring their name so the plan can be shared with them.

How long does a deprescribing review take?

The first visit is a single appointment. The plan that follows unfolds over weeks to months, depending on which medications are involved and how your body responds, because a taper is paced to you rather than to a calendar.

Does deprescribing mean stopping all of my medications?

No. The goal is a list where every medication has a current reason and a dose that fits you now. Medications that are doing their job stay.

Will my doctor know about the plan?

Yes. The plan is shared with the prescribers you name at your first visit, and any change a pharmacist makes to a prescription is reported to them.

Book a medication review

Call the pharmacy at 613-820-4200, email dispensary@nutrichem.com, or send the form below. The pharmacy is open Monday to Friday 9 to 6 and Saturday 9 to 5 at 2599 Carling Ave, Ottawa.

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Keep reading

NutriChem Pharmacy in Ottawa: compounding, deprescribing, minor ailments, and prescription consultations in one pharmacy.
Statins and heart medications explained: benefits, risks, and when you may not need them, by Adam Livingston, PharmD, RPh.
Ordering, shipping, and returns: how prescriptions and products reach you.
The NutriChem Loyalty Program: points on pharmacy and store purchases.

Sources

deprescribing.org (Bruyère Health Research Institute and partners), What is Deprescribing?
Ontario College of Pharmacists, Pharmacist Prescribing: Initiating, Adapting and Renewing Prescriptions Guideline, version 7.1, October 2026
Government of Ontario, Take your medication safely (MedsCheck)

NutriChem is an OCP Compliant  Compounding Pharmacy

As Canada’s leading Compounding Pharmacy, NutriChem moved into a new, state-of-the-art facility to ensure full compliance with the Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP) in 2019. From extremely high ceilings to highly sophisticated air filtration and ventilation to designated rooms for hazardous, sterile and non-sterile preparations, you can rest assured that our custom compounds and formulations meet the highest standards of hygiene and safety.