When you start to feel better after taking a prescription medicine, it’s understandable that you’d feel like you can stop. I mean, the medication did its job, right?
Not quite. Your medication is still doing its job — so it’s important to keep taking them. “If you stop taking your medications without checking with your doctor first, it can be dangerous,” says Preeti Parikh, MD, Executive Medical Director at GoodRx and pediatrician at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
Preeti Parikh, MD is the Executive Medical Director at GoodRx and served as the Chief Medical Officer of HealthiNation.
References
American College of Cardiology. (2015). Taking medications.
American Medical Association. (n.d.). Medication adherence: Improve patient outcomes and improve costs.
Karachalios, G.N., et al. (2005). Withdrawal syndrome following cessation of antihypertensive drug therapy. International Journal of Clinical Practice.
Shelton, R.C. (2001). Steps following attainment of remission: Discontinuation of antidepressant therapy. Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
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