Discontinuing Megestrol Treatment

I'm elderly and have been taking megestrol, but would like to come off most of my meds... Is there an adjustment period or can you come off of megestrol fast?

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Hi Jerry,

May I ask how long you've been taking Megestrol for?

Often times, if someone has taken a medication long enough, there can be physical or psychological adjustment periods simply because the body is being cut off a chemical that it was used to having, even when the substance is benign in nature or non-habit-forming.

However, if it's been a short while (say a few months or so), then in my opinion I don't see any reason why someone wouldn't be able to stop taking this medication cold turkey. On the other hand, because everyone reacts/responds differently (due to various underlying factors), the only way to know for sure is to try it.

According to medlineplus.gov, Megestrol is a man-made version of the human hormone progesterone. So something I can potentially foresee happening (depending on your unique situation) is a brief period of hormonal imbalance due to stopping too abruptly. Nevertheless, the body's hormone levels fluctuate all day every day even if we're not on supplemental medication. And understanding that other complexities can also affect one's hormone levels may make it easier to cope with or mitigate possible withdrawal symptoms. Living a low stress lifestyle while undergoing any medication changes can also help reduce the impact of any risk factors as well.

Best wishes to you!

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Re: David (# 1)

I took this for about 6 weeks for appetite..needed to gain weight. Since I am diabetic, it gave me the munchies and I had a hard time controlling the readings. I came off it .....every other day for a few days...then off it.

I am also on Mirtazapine.....was on 15mg (appetite, antidepressant).... doing 7mg......like eventually to get off it.....how do I do that! ....been on it 3 + months.

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I'm wondering if I have to taper off Megestrol acetate (MGA) or if I can just quit cold turkey? I've been taking 3 x 40mg so 120mg daily for 9 months.

What would happen if I just quit? Tapering off would be ideal, I get that, but the pills are impossible to split. They crumble into dust immediately, so how would I go about that, anyway? I've tried for a few days but it's just more trouble than it's worth so I'm considering just stopping.

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