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Drug Holiday Benefits

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A drug holiday or “structured treatment interruption” is a “conscious, deliberate suspension of medication, usually for a short time” (Manos, n.d.). Drug holidays are commonly used with stimulants or other drugs that can cause undesirable side effects. With stimulant use, medications often used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), drug holidays are often used on weekends, vacations, or for a week every couple of months (Manos, n.d.). There are many reasons that drug holidays are used or considered. The believed benefits include providing evidence that the medication is needed or useful, temporary relief from undesirable side effects, or limitation of drug use (Manos, n.d.). The most commonly reported adverse side effects of stimulant use is appetite suppression and insomnia (Manos, n.d.).
There is little evidence to support …show more content…

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors can negatively affect one’s sexual arousal and are sometimes recommended by health care providers to avoid on days that an individual might have sexual activity (Harvard Medical School, 2016). Bisphosphonates have associated risk of femur fracture when taken long-term (Harvard Medical School, 2016). Suspension of bisphosphonates may be recommended every couple of years by one’s health care provider to reduce the risk of fracture (Harvard Medical School, 2016). Drug holidays for carbidopa and levodopa were formerly recommended to decrease sided effects associated with the medication (Harvard Medical School, 2016). However, abrupt cessation of these drugs is no longer supported due fever, altered mental status, and even death when suspended (Harvard Medical School,

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