TI Deprescribing Webinar Series #10: Less is S’more: Sweetening life by deprescribing in diabetes (and beyond)

23 Sep 2026 TI Deprescribing Webinar Series #10: Less is S’more: Sweetening life by deprescribing in diabetes (and beyond)

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This live webinar has already taken place. Scroll down to view the video recording. Click the DOWNLOAD button to view the presenter’s slide deck.

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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. Learning together, we hope to build confidence and knowledge about deprescribing. After nine successful sessions, the series continued on September 23, 2026 with the 10th webinar in the series presented by Sydney Saunders, a primary care pharmacist in Nova Scotia. Details below.

TITLE: Less is S’more: Sweetening life by deprescribing in diabetes (and beyond)

SPEAKER: Sydney Saunders, Primary care pharmacist in Cumberland County with Nova Scotia Health

DATE: Wednesday, September 23, 2026

TIME: 12:00 – 13:00 Pacific Time (UTC-7) [convert to your local time]

WHERE: free virtual event

CME CREDITS: MainPro+ Certified Activity credits: 1.0. Those who registered, attended the live webinar and completed the evaluation will receive their CME certificate.

Less is S’more: Sweetening Life by Deprescribing in Diabetes (and Beyond)

Presented by: Sydney Saunders, Primary care pharmacist in Cumberland County with Nova Scotia Health

About the topic: This was the 10th session in the Deprescribing series, where Sydney Saunders, a primary care pharmacist from Nova Scotia Health, presented a comprehensive case study of deprescribing in diabetes management. Sydney shared the journey of a 70-year-old female patient who was initially taking multiple medications including basal-bolus insulin, metformin, dapagliflozin, statin, ramipril, furosemide, oxybutynin, propranolol, primidone, and medroxyprogesterone, with poor glycemic control and multiple side effects. Over approximately 18 months, Sydney worked with the patient to gradually reduce and eliminate medications, including tapering off insulin, starting semaglutide and gliclazide, and stopping several medications that were causing side effects or were no longer necessary. The patient experienced significant improvements in mobility, weight loss (reaching her goal of breaking 200 pounds), and quality of life, ultimately being able to travel and engage in community activities. The discussion included questions about the use of continuous glucose monitoring versus A1C testing, patient-centered approaches to medication changes, and considerations for frail older adults when starting GLP-1 receptor agonists. Scroll down to view the video recording. Click the DOWNLOAD button to view the presenter’s slide deck.

About the speaker: Sydney Saunders is a primary care pharmacist in Cumberland County with Nova Scotia Health. After graduating from Memorial University of Newfoundland, she completed her hospital residency with Alberta Health Services. She went on to practice in Dawson Creek, British Columbia where she built a primary care pharmacist role and serviced the rural community with hospital and long term care support. Upon returning to the East Coast, she has integrated into medical clinics within her communities to complete medication assessments and collaborate with providers in a co-located practice model. She works to optimize patients’ medication therapy, simplify regimens, manage drug interactions and side effects, and enhance patients’ understanding of their medications. She practices in a team-based, patient-centred fashion and strives to keep patients happy, healthy, and thriving in their community.

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

  1. Discuss monitoring considerations when prescribing and deprescribing medications for diabetes.
  2. Consider language used when discussing medications with patients and how it may lead to legacy prescriptions.
  3.  Understand that deprescribing typically doesn’t go as planned and how to adapt.

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 5,000 participants signed up for at least one of the nine Deprescribing Webinar sessions held to date. 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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