Dangers of Polypharmacy

In Elder Law world we know the dangers that may occur with taking multiple medications. The New York Times ran an article last week that focused on the topic; The Dangers of ‘Polypharmacy,’ the Ever-Mounting Pile of Pills.  “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.”

When your doctor asks you what medications you take, do you include vitamins and supplements in your answer? Many don’t, according to the article, referencing a study in the Journal of American Medical Association’s Journal of Internal Medicine, “A recent study in JAMA Internal Medicine, however, found that more than 42 percent of adults didn’t tell their primary care doctors about their most commonly used complementary and alternative medicines, including a quarter of those who relied most on herbs and supplements.”

How many people take multiple medications?  “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.”

Don’t we all take supplements and vitamins? Although there is no age-specific time when folks start doing so, there is a difference in the impact based on age.

Though drug interactions can occur in any age group, older people are more vulnerable, said Dr. Michael A. Steinman, a geriatrician at the University of California, San Francisco, who wrote an accompanying commentary. ..Most have multiple chronic diseases, so they take more drugs, putting them at higher risk for threatening interactions…The consequences can also be more threatening.

The article suggests the need to revamp our health care system so it’s not fragmented and until then, ask doctors and pharmacists about medications, and include vitamins and supplements in your list of medications.

The article about the study is available here.