The investigators are doing this study because they know from research and talking with caregivers that kids can be on a bunch of medications, and it's hard to keep track of what the medications are for and whether or not they are helping.
The other thing the investigators know is that some medications have very few side effects while others have many side effects, some of which can cause real health problems (severe weight gain, diabetes). Once someone is on a medication, they often just keep taking it without thinking much about whether they still need it.
the investigators are doing this study to look at the process of reviewing medications with the help of a handout that shows basic information about the most common types of medications, making a decision about keeping medications the same or lowering one, and following people to see how it goes.
If the caregiver and youth decide to lower a medication, the investigators have created a structured process for their child's prescriber to do this slowly and safely.
Slowly means kids are not likely to have any bad reactions. This process can be used to just lower the dose of a medication or to stop it altogether.
This is called the AWARE intervention and it has 2 parts:
1. Medication review using the handout \& making a decision
2. Prescribers' guide about lowering meds slowly for those who choose to do this The caregivers/youth do not have to lower a medication to be in the study.