Drug Combinations Putting Seniors at Risk
Seattle – Medications are supposed to be safe and beneficial to take, but that is not the case today with senior citizens across the United States. 80 percent of senior citizens take at least one prescription pill daily. This doesn’t seem like such an issue, but when more than half of that 80 percent takes not one, but five pills daily, they are putting their lives at risk for life-threatening medication interactions.
One would think that taking medicine should be harmless, especially for senior citizens. However, with the rising use and availability of these prescriptions, over-the counter, and dietary supplement drugs, senior citizens are taking more trips to the emergency room instead of to the pharmacy. Dr. Tessler Lindau of the University of Chicago Medical Center, stated in an interview, “One in 10 were using combinations of drugs that put them at risk for severe medication interaction.” Around 175,000 emergency room visits are by senior citizens from negative drug interactions. Along with these visits, over 2.2 million senior citizens put themselves at risk daily by combining supposedly safe drugs. People tend to think that over-the-counter drugs are safe, but when combined with other drugs, the risk for danger increases.
Most commonly used prescription drugs like aspirin, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and multi-vitamins have found to be less harmful when combined compared to other drugs. Potential negative interactions can result in bleeding problems. Doctors found that a commonly used drug for heart attacks and strokes, Warfarin, when combined with aspirin, interferes with blood clotting.
Medication is a good thing, and more people, especially senior citizens, depend on prescription and over-the-counter drugs and supplements to function. Seniors should not have to worry about their medication worsening their conditions. Complaints of aches and pains are often linked back to the lack of public awareness of this issue. Lindau said, “Combinations of medications may reduce the effectiveness of one or the other medication.”
In-person surveys conducted proved that many senior citizens don’t discuss their other medications with their physician. However, it is essential that the other medications be discussed at every visit. Doctors also play a role in fighting the deadly combinations. Patients should not be the only ones looking over their prescriptions. Doctors need to make sure their patients are taking the right medication that won’t have negative medication interactions. In an interview, Pharmacist Dima Qato said, “Patients need to know the risks. No one has ever really documented how many medications, what types of medications older people use on such a large scale, including non-prescription drugs along with prescription drugs.”
The best way to avoid dangerous drug interactions? Try only using one doctor or pharmacy when getting prescription drugs and supplements. This way, all drugs will be listed in one database and this way, it will be easier to catch deadly combinations. If visiting more than one pharmacy or physician, seniors are advised to bring all medications with them to be safe. The first step to prevention is awareness, and the awareness of these drug interactions will save the lives of many senior citizens in years to come.