Medication Deprescribing Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Qualitative Case Series of Lifestyle Medicine Practitioner Protocols

Abstract

This study is a qualitative case series of lifestyle medicine practitioners' protocols for medication de-escalation in the context of reduced need for glucose-lowering medications due to lifestyle modifications. Increasing numbers of lifestyle medicine practitioners report achieving reductions in medications among patients with type 2 diabetes, and in some cases remission, but limited data exist on the clinical decision-making process used to determine when and how medications are deprescribed. Practitioners interviewed here provide accounts of their deprescribing protocols. This information can serve as pilot data for other practitioners seeking examples of how deprescribing in the context of lifestyle medicine treatment is conducted.