The conversation

Here's the method, and it's one sentence long. Any change to a prescribed medicine, whether stopping it, cutting it, restarting it after a gap, or admitting you've drifted, starts with telling the prescriber or a pharmacist. Everything else in this chapter is about making that sentence easier to act on.

Who. A pharmacist for most of it. The NHS says pharmacists can advise on how to use your medicine, on worries about side effects, and on any other questions, and can refer you to a GP if they can't help. There's no appointment, no ten-minute limit and no screen. For stopping an antidepressant, for anything involving a dose change, and for anything the pharmacist sends you on to, the prescriber.

What to say. The true thing, in one sentence, before anything else. "I've been taking these about four days a week since the spring." "I stopped these in May because they made my legs ache." "I've been halving the dose for six weeks and I feel fine." "I'd like to come off this and I want to do it properly." Lead with the fact, not the apology, and don't explain until asked. The fact is what they need, and the apology is what you need, and only one of them helps.

What to ask. Chapter 15's four questions, and the fifth. What is this for. What happens if I don't take it. How long is it for. What do I do if I miss one. What would show us it's working.

What to expect. Not disapproval, mostly. A prescriber who hears "I stopped because of the aching" hears a solvable problem. A pharmacist who hears "I've been skipping it" hears the most common sentence in their week. What you'll often get is a change, to the tablet, the dose, the time of day, or the plan, and occasionally an agreement that yes, you can stop, done this way. And you'll sometimes get a no, with a reason, and the reason is the thing you were missing.

When. This week. Not at the annual review, because the annual review is the appointment the drawer has been making you avoid. The pharmacy is open tomorrow.