Becoming Medication-Free

As part of my journey to improving my health, including my physical health, with my doctor who practices functional medicine, we have decided that it is a good idea for me to be weaned off my medications to restore my hormones to normal levels.

My hormonal imbalance is the only physical health issue that I’m experiencing right now, and it is highly likely that my medications are causing this imbalance. So if I no longer take the medications, my hormones will return to normal levels, so I can be a healthier and happier person!

I’ve been taking these medications for the last 15 years, ever since I had a nervous breakdown in 2000. To save you the sad details, I was living a very unhealthy lifestyle back then. Now that my physical health is nearly restored – from diet, exercise, and supplements (the latter is temporary) – and my lifestyle is now a healthy one, my doctor does not believe that I need the medications that I was put on all those years ago.

I wanted to share this, because it is part of my journey to becoming an all-around healthy person. It is best to be on as few medications as possible, as they are chemicals and chemicals are toxic to the body. Plus, the body adapts to medication, which reduces its effectiveness, which is why dosages often have to be increased to maintain the same effect. A healthy lifestyle can do wonders for the body and can make it so less (or no) medication is needed. Medication should be a last resort.

However, it is hard for everyone to live a perfectly healthy lifestyle if they are not ready for it, and I understand this. I also understand that everyone is different, and some people absolutely need medications for chronic illnesses. But keep in mind that lifestyle plays a big part and it is possible to heal from some illnesses. Plus, some illnesses are actually temporary, so the medication is only needed in the short-term, which was the case with me. However, until I changed my lifestyle, I was dependent on the medications. So it was my lifestyle, not the biochemistry of my body, that needed fixing.

So I’m happy to report that the plan is for me to slowly go off all of my medications. Of course, that is the goal, and the journey to getting there may prove a different end result. But I am hopeful. I believe my doctor is right – that I don’t need the medications anymore. I’ve already started tapering them as instructed by my doctor. I’m excited to be medication-free someday.

Have you been able to go off any medications due to the health problem being a short-term one or resolving itself? Do you take supplements instead of medications to treat any health conditions? What are your experiences?