With the baby boom generation now on
social security, polypharmacy is becoming rampant. Those of us with
diabetes already have problems with polypharmacy. Moreover, I am not
limiting this to prescription drugs. Herbal medications and
over-the-counter drugs also count. Yet, many people ignore herbal
drugs, vitamins, and minerals because they are supposedly natural.
Geriatricians and researchers have
warned for years about the potential hazards of polypharmacy, usually
defined as taking five or more drugs concurrently. Yet, it continues
to rise in all age groups, reaching disturbingly high levels among
older adults.
Doctors spend an awful lot of money and
effort trying to figure out when to start medications, and shockingly
little on when to stop. Most keep adding medications and never stop.
The average senior is now taking more
medicines than ever before. Many are for complex conditions or
diseases, and others are for what they think will help them remain
healthier.
Tracking prescription drug use from
1999 to 2012 through a large national survey, Harvard researchers
reported in November that 39 percent of those over age 65 now use
five or more medications — a 70 percent increase in polypharmacy
over 12 years.
Many factors probably contributed,
including the introduction of Medicare Part D drug coverage in 2006
and treatment guidelines that (controversially) call for greater use
of statins.
Nevertheless, older people don’t take just prescription drugs. An article published in JAMA Internal Medicine, using a longitudinal national survey of people 62 to 85, may have revealed the fuller picture.
More than a third were taking at least five prescription medications, and almost two-thirds were using dietary supplements, including herbs and vitamins. Nearly 40 percent took over-the-counter drugs.
Not all are imperiled by polypharmacy, of course. But, some of those products, even those that sound natural and are available at health food stores, interact with others and can cause dangerous side effects.
How often does that happen? The researchers, analyzing the drugs and supplements taken, calculated that more than 8 percent of older adults in 2005 and 2006 were at risk for a major drug interaction. Five years later, the proportion exceeded 15 percent.
Nevertheless, older people don’t take just prescription drugs. An article published in JAMA Internal Medicine, using a longitudinal national survey of people 62 to 85, may have revealed the fuller picture.
More than a third were taking at least five prescription medications, and almost two-thirds were using dietary supplements, including herbs and vitamins. Nearly 40 percent took over-the-counter drugs.
Not all are imperiled by polypharmacy, of course. But, some of those products, even those that sound natural and are available at health food stores, interact with others and can cause dangerous side effects.
How often does that happen? The researchers, analyzing the drugs and supplements taken, calculated that more than 8 percent of older adults in 2005 and 2006 were at risk for a major drug interaction. Five years later, the proportion exceeded 15 percent.
All of this points out how dangerously
the older generations are living and possibly causing their own death
because they have concealed information from doctors or use too many
doctors to hide what they are taking. Many also use several
pharmacies.
While I am a senior, I would urge all
my readers to read the full article about polypharmacy and if you
have a parent still alive, you need to check out the drugs in their
possession. If necessary make a list of the drugs being used and the
frequency being used, the pharmacy used and then talking to at least
one pharmacist using this list. Take action if anything is found
that could be dangerous for the elderly parent.
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