diff --git a/doc/src/Build_extras.txt b/doc/src/Build_extras.txt
index e7c1a67fe3aac43ebe7a29788e98a9ec2157962a..a3a5665fa886cf319dff542427ae067dce4579a6 100644
--- a/doc/src/Build_extras.txt
+++ b/doc/src/Build_extras.txt
@@ -279,9 +279,13 @@ the compiler you use on your system to build LATTE.
  
 MEAM package :h4,link(meam)
 
-NOTE: You should test building the MEAM library with both the Intel
-and GNU compilers to see if a simulation runs faster with one versus
-the other on your system.
+NOTE: the use of the MEAM package is discouraged, as it has been
+superseded by the USER-MEAMC package, which is a direct translation of
+the Fortran code in the MEAM library to C++. The code in USER-MEAMC is
+functionally completely equivalent, fully supports use in "pair_style
+hybrid"_pair_hybrid.html, and has optimizations (e.g. no translations of
+data structures or neighbor lists are required) that make it
+significantly faster than the MEAM package.
 
 [CMake build]:
 
@@ -423,6 +427,11 @@ process.  You should only need to create a new Makefile.lammps.* file
  
 REAX package :h4,link(reax)
 
+NOTE: the use of the REAX package is discouraged, as it is no longer
+maintained. Please use the USER-REAX package instead, and possibly the
+KOKKOS enabled variant of that, which has a more robust memory
+management.
+
 [CMake build]:
 
 -D PKG_REAX=on            # enable REAX package :pre
diff --git a/doc/src/Packages_details.txt b/doc/src/Packages_details.txt
index 33d1df06ec854bbb574575547006189e4a090c8b..46948a88b7219f81c063e82bea8df060f8aba46c 100644
--- a/doc/src/Packages_details.txt
+++ b/doc/src/Packages_details.txt
@@ -530,11 +530,12 @@ MEAM package :link(PKG-MEAM),h4
 
 A pair style for the modified embedded atom (MEAM) potential.
 
-Please note that the MEAM package has been superseded by the
-"USER-MEAMC"_#PKG-USER-MEAMC package, which is a direct translation
-of the MEAM package to C++. USER-MEAMC contains additional
-optimizations making it run faster than MEAM on most machines,
-while providing the identical features and USER interface.
+Please note that the use of the MEAM package is discouraged as
+it has been superseded by the "USER-MEAMC"_#PKG-USER-MEAMC package,
+which is a direct translation of the MEAM package to C++.
+USER-MEAMC contains additional optimizations making it run faster
+than MEAM on most machines, while providing the identical features
+and user interface.
 
 [Author:] Greg Wagner (Northwestern U) while at Sandia.
 
@@ -807,11 +808,15 @@ REAX package :link(PKG-REAX),h4
 
 [Contents:]
 
+NOTE: the use of the REAX package is discouraged, as it is no longer
+maintained. Please use the "USER-REAXC"_#PKG-USER-REAXC package instead,
+and possibly the KOKKOS enabled variant of that, which has a more robust
+memory management.
+
 A pair style which wraps a Fortran library which implements the ReaxFF
-potential, which is a universal reactive force field.  See the
-"USER-REAXC package"_#PKG-USER-REAXC for an alternate implementation in
-C/C++.  Also a "fix reax/bonds"_fix_reax_bonds.html command for
-monitoring molecules as bonds are created and destroyed.
+potential, which is a universal reactive force field.  Also included is
+a "fix reax/bonds"_fix_reax_bonds.html command for monitoring molecules
+as bonds are created and destroyed.
 
 [Author:] Aidan Thompson (Sandia).