Ninety percent of older adults take at least one prescription drug. and more than four in ten take five or more prescription drugs. But, in some cases, older adults take more prescription drugs than they need, to the detriment of their mental and physical health. Anna Wilde Matthews reports for The Wall Street Journal on overmedication among older adults.
About 18 percent of older adults take eight or more prescription drugs. In some cases, these drugs improve physical and mental health. In others, taking certain medications as well as taking multiple medications can cause serious harm. For example, multiple medications, including sedatives, could undermine balance for older adults and promote falls.
Older adults should almost never take certain drugs, according to the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). The AGS lists these drugs in its “Beers Criteria.” These drugs include diazepam, methocarbamol, which is a muscle relaxant, and the antihistamine hydroxyzine. In addition, older adults should not take a lot of drugs at the same time if the drugs affect their central nervous system.
Part of the reason so many older adults take so many prescription drugs is that they lack coordinated care. Multiple physicians prescribe their drugs without knowing about the other drugs their patients are taking. And, too often physicians do not explain the risks of taking multiple medications to their patients.
Most older adults are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, HMOs, which appear not to be coordinating their care. In many cases, Medicare requires insurers covering prescription drugs to conduct medication therapy management for their enrollees on eight or more medications for multiple chronic conditions. But, health insurers appear to shirk this responsibility, with impunity..
Here’s more from Just Care:
- The deadly consequences of out-of-pocket drug costs
- After a heart attack, multiple drugs can affect quality of life
- Medicare Part D plans can make it hard to get prescription drugs
- Is medication an appropriate treatment for loneliness?
- Common OTC drugs linked to cognitive impairment
