John...In 2012-2014, the VA had me taking 20 (not a misprint) prescription medications at the same time. I left the VA for Medicare in early 2015 and began the monumental task of eliminating as many meds as possible over 3 1/2 years and with the help of 2 pharmacists and about 3, private, primary care physicians. Needless to say, eliminating any medication is different for every individual due to the symptoms they had the med prescribed for, the dosage, their individual health status and other medications they may still be taking. You HAVE to have the advice of a "professional" which could be an MD, Nurse Practitioner, Physician's Assistant, etc,..but there is no harm in researching the med on your own to understand how it works, the side effects, interaction with other drugs/supplements and withdrawal complications. There are great doctors, good doctors and not so good doctors. I encourage EVERY patient to familiarize themselves with their symptoms, how the meds work on their symptoms, SIDE EFFECTS and the pros and cons of every medication they are taking. DON'T be uninformed about your own body and how it works and how everything you put in your mouth affects how you function! I have been certified as a Health Care Practitioner for 32 years and am STILL learning every day. Just the Immune System alone is a miraculous machine and could take ten lifetimes to understand! Ken

Ken, thanks for your informative response. With gratitude, John231