It Seems Everyone Now Worried About Elderly Medication

For decades, no one has expressed concern for the elderly or that they were often over medicated. Since the NY Times column and several other articles, the popular theme now is flooding the internet with articles and stories about the elderly being over medicated. I am proposing another purpose for these articles. Under the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, many medical procedures and medications are being withheld from the elderly. These articles are for the purpose of showing cause for the medications being withheld, as if they have been overtreated.

However, this is also a cover by the media because they also want the elderly to die from the treatments withheld from the elderly. They are backing the current administration and their objectives of euthanasia.

What I am surprised is that the Diabetes in Control (DiC) people were suckered in by the NY Times article. Dr. Bill Quick in his blog here points out the shortcoming of the study which he says did not determine many essential points.

The DiC does state that the older diabetes patients are often switched to insulin and sulfonylureas to provide intensive therapy to manage blood glucose levels. This is too often done by doctors that are not knowledgeable about diabetes and their patients are kept on oral medications until it is too late and they have to be moved to insulin as the medication of last resort.

What is not stated in the study is how many had other conditions (comorbid) that could have caused worry for over treatment. Memory problems and conditions of dementia are not made known. It could even be that many of the veterans had no other conditions and had no memory problems. Then to say that they were overtreated could be in error when the patients were knowledgeable and wanted tight management their blood glucose levels.

The worry of hypoglycemia is often overstated because doctors do not know how to treat patients with diabetes. They could be over treating their patients with oral medications and causing serious side effects because they do not have the knowledge or information needed.

I admit that I am becoming irritated at doctors that keep ordering me to let my blood glucose levels rise above 7.0%. I am 72 years of age and on insulins, Lantus and Novolog, and while I have had levels that occasionally scare me, I have only had one level requiring my wife to assist me in recovering. Unless I develop memory problems, I will not let my blood glucose levels rise to the 8% to 9% that the people at DiC and other doctors want for the age of 75 or older.

I do have other comorbid conditions, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems, heart disease, and weight problems. The blood pressure and cholesterol are well managed by medications. I need to have a discussion with the doctor about my blood pressure levels that are constantly creeping lower. So far, I have not had any dizziness or other problems when getting up quickly, but today's BP readings have been 102 over 54 on rising and three hours later 110 over 60. I would think that I should be nearer 120 over 70, but I am afraid that the guidelines of 140 over 80 are not what I want.