An analysis undertaken at The University of Western Australia has found deprescribing medication can improve survival rates for older people if initiated early.

Ms Amanda Quek, a PhD candidate from UWA’s School of Allied Health, was lead author of the review published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

An earlier 2016 review of people who had ceased or reduced the dosage of one or more medications, that were either potentially harmful or no longer required to improve patient outcomes, was updated to include studies published between February 2015 and April 2024.

Image: Amanda Quek.

It included people aged 65 years and older who were taking at least one regular medication at the start of the study and excluded patients who were at the end of their lives or receiving end-of-life care.

“We were primarily interested in mortality outcomes but also looked at adverse drug withdrawal events, physical health outcomes, cognitive function, quality of life and effect on medication regimen,” Ms Quek said.

The updated review included 259 studies and researchers found deprescribing to reduce multiple medications did not result in a significant change in mortality, falls, fractures, adverse drug events, emergency room presentations and unplanned hospital admissions in randomised controlled trials.

However, deprescribing was found to reduce mortality among individuals aged 65 to 79.

“Our results confirm those from the earlier review, that the benefits of deprescribing may be greater in people aged under 80 years,” Ms Quek said.

“One plausible explanation for this observation is that the long-term negative effects of inappropriate multiple medication use are irreversible at a certain point.”

The review concluded that current data suggested no evidence of significant harm or risks from deprescribing interventions.