Dangerous Prescription Drug Interactions

[caption id="attachment_525" align="alignright" width="280"] Keep a list of all the medications you take.[/caption]

 

Know the prescription drugs seniors are taking

 

The more our body ages, the more medical conditions we experience. The more medical conditions we endure, the more our doctors prescribe drugs for relief or cure. Modern medicine is a wonderful thing, a miracle even, but today’s prescription drugs can also be dangerous; especially when they interact with one another.

 

 

The average senior today takes up to as many as 10 different prescription drugs, often prescribed by different doctors. Add in a number of over-the-counter medicines and it’s easy to see how one’s body can become a cocktail of drugs and how dangerous that can be. As a caregiver, or as the aging person yourself, you need to know all the prescription drugs taken, understand their mission in the body and, particularly be aware of the side effects and conflicts each might have with other medications taken. That is, be aware of a danger known as polypharmacy.

 

 

Polypharmacy is the use of multiple medications by a patient, generally older adults (those aged over 65 years). More specifically, it’s often defined as the use of five or more regular medications. It sometimes alternatively refers to purportedly excessive or unnecessary prescription drugs, and it’s most common in the elderly, affecting about 40% of older adults living in their own homes.

 

 

Concerns about polypharmacy include:

 

 

 

 

 

 

• increased adverse drug reactions
• drug-drug interactions
• prescribing cascade
• higher costs

 

How does a senior avoid the dangerous affects that polypharmacy may cause?

 

 

 

 

 

• First, be sure to tell every prescribing doctor about the other medications that are being taken.

   

  Doctors should know which drugs conflict with one another.
• Second, read the labels that come with every medication.
• Third, check the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) database of all drugs

   

  that are approved by the agency. The database lists active ingredients, purpose or mission,

   

  dosing recommendations, and the side effects and conflicts of each medication.

 

To learn more about prescription drugs and

 

over-the-counter drug safety for senior citizens, visit fda.gov.

 

 

Looking for a Home Care Agency?

 

Many Home Care Agencies offer medication reminders when caring for clients. Those who offer medical care options can even help with medication management. To find a home care agency in your area that best fits your needs, call (888) We-ASSIST or visit AlternativesforSeniors.com to search agencies in your area.

 

 

 

 

 

writer: Ryan Allen