Since most METARs are, shall we say, mature the issue of polypharmacy probably applies to many of us. It’s also a Macroeconomic issue since the resulting possibility of drug-caused falls and dementia lead to higher medical care costs.
Taking Multiple Medications? You May Need to Scale Back.
Many people in the United States are taking five or more prescription drugs. That can lead to serious complications.
By Knvul Sheikh, The New York Times, April 22, 2024
Around one in five adults between the ages of 40 to 79 is taking five or more prescription drugs, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the older patients are, the more likely it is they’re taking even more medications.
But taking many medicines simultaneously, known among medical experts as polypharmacy, increases people’s risk of experiencing severe side effects and drug interactions…
Studies show that taking multiple medications is associated with a faster decline in memory in some patients with mild cognitive impairment, and with a greater risk of falls among people with balance problems or weakened muscles. And certain combinations of drugs can lead to excessive bleeding, dangerously low blood sugar or other serious complications that lead to hundreds of older adults being hospitalized every day…
Patients sometimes also see a variety of medical providers, each of whom may prescribe medication without necessarily communicating with one another.
Sometimes medical professionals may prescribe drugs to treat the side effects of another medication, in what doctors refer to as a “prescription cascade.”…
Experts suggest asking a primary care doctor or pharmacist to do a full medication review at least once a year. Many pharmacies offer such evaluations under free medication therapy management programs. Make a list of your medicines — including supplements and over-the-counter drugs — or grab all of your pill bottles and take them with you to the appointment… [end quote]
I think a pharmacist would probably be better at knowing about drug interactions than a physician. Also, it’s worth Googling the interactions since they can be mind-boggling. One of the meds I take interacts with over 300 different medications. Some of them interact with alcohol.
It’s important to include OTC meds as well as prescription meds. We tend to assume that OTC meds are benign. But even acetaminophen, which causes less stomach irritation than aspirin, interacts with 124 other medications and can cause fatal liver damage if taken in too high a dose.
prescriberpoint.com is a website for healthcare professionals. Check your medication interactions.
When a doctor prescribes a new drug ask if it could interact with other drugs you are taking. Also ask if the symptom could be a side effect of a drug you are already taking and whether the underlying problem could be treated by a different drug with fewer side effects.
Wendy