Deprescribing multiple psychotropic medications

28 Jan 2026 Deprescribing multiple psychotropic medications

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Posted at 13:00h in Education, Podcasts & Videos by

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When challenged by complex cases involving people taking too many medications, we may ask:

  • Can I stop any of these?
  • Which should I stop first?
  • Do I need to taper this drug? If so, how?
  • What should I monitor for after stopping, and when?

Many clinicians address these clinical questions successfully, improving outcomes for patients.  Sometimes, things don’t work out as hoped.  At the Therapeutics Initiative, we want to create a platform for healthcare providers, patients, caregivers, advocates and policy makers to learn from each other about successes and challenges in deprescribing through our popular Deprescribing Webinar Series initiated in February 2023. The series paused during 2025, but will restart on January 28, 2026.  Learning together, we hope to build confidence and knowledge about deprescribing.

DATE: Wednesday, January 28, 2026

TIME: 12:00 – 13:00 Pacific Time [convert to your local time]

WHERE: This is a free virtual event.

CME CREDITS: MainPro+ Certified Activity credits: 1.0. Those who register, attend the webinar and complete the evaluation will receive their CME certificate.

Case: Deprescribing multiple psychotropic medications

Presented by: Cara Hills, Primary Care Network Clinical Pharmacist, Interior Health

About the topic: We are resuming the TI Deprescribing Webinar Series with a case of a patient who was experiencing repeated “fainting” episodes, presented by Cara Hills, a Primary Care Network Clinical Pharmacist from the Interior Health Authority. After negative workups from multiple specialists, the patient sought care abroad and was ultimately placed on multiple psychotropic medications. She continued to experience fainting spells and other adverse events. In this webinar, Cara will discuss how she identified and prioritized the target medications for deprescribing using the MedStopper tool, as well as the strategies employed to overcome language and/or cultural barriers to enable her and her patient to work together to minimize harmful prescribing.

About the speaker: Cara completed her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy at the University of British Columbia in 2000 and then finished an Ambulatory Pharmacy Residency at St. Paul’s Hospital.  After moves to Edmonton and back to Vancouver, she returned to her hometown of Kelowna in 2013. She has worked in a variety of practice settings including HIV, NICU, medicine, nephrology and heart rhythm. Cara has been working in the Central Okanagan Primary Care Network for the last 3 years.  She spends her leisure time dancing, reading, biking and doing other activities with her family.

Accreditation: The Division of Continuing Professional Development, University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine (UBC CPD) is fully accredited by the Continuing Medical Education Accreditation Committee (CACME) to provide CPD credits for physicians. This activity meets the certification criteria of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and has been certified by UBC CPD for up to 1.0 Mainpro+® Certified Activity credits. Each participant should claim only those credits accrued through participation in the activity.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of the presentation, attendees will be able to:

  1. Identify and prioritize medications for deprescribing using the MedStopper tool.
  2. Develop an implementation and monitoring plan for deprescribing.
  3. Apply helpful strategies to reduce language barriers in working collaboratively with patients and support systems to reduce use of potentially harmful drugs.

The TI Deprescribing Webinar Series are coordinated by:

Fiona Chan BSc(Pharm), PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia

Wade Thompson PharmD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
Organizer, International Deprescribing Conference, and Chair, Evidence Synthesis Unit, UBC Therapeutics Initiative

A combined total of almost 3,000 participants signed up for at least one of the initial seven Deprescribing Webinar sessions held in 2023-2024. Links to the previous sessions (including the slide decks and video recording for each session):

INVITATION TO SUBMIT & PRESENT A CASE AT FUTURE DEPRESCRIBING WEBINARS!

Please let colleagues or friends know about this new webinar series.

  • We host a 1-hour case-based webinar every 3-4 months on a Wednesday at 12:00-13:00 Pacific Time.
  • Deprescribing Webinars are open to pharmacists, doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, health profession students, patients & care providers, and others in health care who are interested in how to address undesirable polypharmacy effectively through responsible deprescribing.
  • The Webinars are case-based.  We invite case submissions from any health profession (including students, and potentially from patients/caregivers who wish to share their experiences).  As in any health care setting, we expect our audience to respect the confidentiality of information presented with informed patient consent.

Who should submit?

  • Nursing, psych nursing, NP, medical, and pharmacy students or residents;
  • Recently qualified practitioners working in hospital, community, or long-term care who identify a deprescribing problem or success they think will interest others;
  • Senior clinicians in any health care field who want to share their acumen and experience with deprescribing clinical logic, pharmacokinetics, avoiding withdrawal, teaching others how to deprescribe successfully, use of electronic aides or AI;
  • Patients or families who think their story may enlighten health professionals.

What will you need to submit a case?

  • Patient consent to present anonymized relevant history, physical findings, drug list;
  • Consent of your supervisor if relevant (e.g. students/residents);
  • Obtain key details including all medications and doses, relevant vital signs (e.g.supine & standing BP and HR, RR and SaO2) while you have authorized access to patient record.

If interested, please contact us.  We will work with submitters to develop succinct, effective presentations that allow time for audience discussion.  If you wish to propose a case, don’t be shy! But DO respect patient privacy – don’t disclose any information that could identify an individual.

 

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