Posted on 12/17/2021 6:25:25 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
Polypharmacy, or the use of multiple medications, is common in older adults. While 89 percent of people aged 65 and older take at least one prescription medication, 54 percent take four or more. Data from Merck similarly found that nearly 80 percent of older adults regularly take at least two prescription drugs, while 36 percent regularly use five or more different drugs—and this doesn’t include over-the-counter medications.
Adverse effects from polypharmacy are common and may drive patients to seek out ever-more drugs to treat the side effects caused by their drug regimen. This can create a vicious cycle that’s perpetuated by a health care system where doctors have little time to spend with patients and are directed to use treatment protocols centered on pharmaceutical-driven care.
Not only do many patients see multiple doctors, each of whom may prescribe their own set of medications, but patients may pressure doctors to prescribe drugs they’ve seen on direct-to-consumer advertisements. Instead of looking at the big picture of how to get healthy, tending to essential factors such as diet, stress, and physical activity, “health care” for seniors often turns into “drug care,” with potentially disastrous results.
One Patient—43 Prescription Drugs A commentary by Dr. Mark E. Williams published on Medscape in November highlights just how extreme polypharmacy can become. In some cases, it’s not “just” four or five medications but dozens of them, and in the case of Williams’ patient “Allison,” it was 43. The woman had been transferred to a chronic care facility for long-term care due to bipolar illness.
Days earlier, she was treated at a hospital for “altered mental status,” which Williams said “was probably related to inappropriate polypharmacy.”
(Excerpt) Read more at theepochtimes.com ...
doctors and hospitals were the 3rd cause of death.
with coronavirus, it must be the 1st.
I worked for a group of internal medicine doctors for some years. It was typical for a patient - sometimes not middleaged or elderly - to be on 15 or more prescription medications. Anticholinergics were a favorite. Other doctors for whom I worked were in all kinds of disciplines, and so many times the patients would be on 10 or more different medications. One person (elderly, in the hospital) had more than 20 prescription medications. People who were in the hospital would sometimes have more than 30 medications - that they were on before hospitalization - listed on their records.
They will stick you with whatever they think you can afford. And then some.
I am on zero prescription medications, and never will be.
I refuse to reduce my life to being a revenue stream for the big-government/big-pharmaceutical criminal complex.
*fist bump* (I will scrounge for Vicodin, however.)
Epoch times hitting me up for bucks.
Polypharmacy is a very well known problem, and for at least 40 years. Docs have no time to deal with it. Pharmacies don’t talk to each other...and they don’t have time to really know their clients. Many, many, many patients are unaware of the meds they take and what the meds are used for. No one has the time to go through all of their meds. A real s storm....and everyone bears some responsibility....and we were told “better living through chemistry”...we forgot the downside.
Just say “no” to the big-government/big-pharmaceutical prescription drug criminal complex.
My mother is 85 plus and she knows her meds, what they are supposed to do, and what other rx they can react with as well. She also knows what over the counter meds, vitamins, or foods she should not be taking with her prescribed meds. It’s amazing to me that she knows all that info and keeps it in her head.
“I am on zero prescription medications, and never will be.”
You have never had an antibiotic?
I meant the kind that you take forever, Poindexter.
“Revenue stream” would have been clue enough for a person of average intelligence.
Only 11 here...
“I meant the kind that you take forever, Poindexter.”
The say what you mean.
At my age, glad to be drug (medication) free!
Evidently you are of such low intelligence that you can’t even comprehend what the phrase “revenue stream” means.
“Evidently you are of such low intelligence that you can’t even comprehend ...”
I understand that the phrase “I meant” acknowledges that the post was not correctly worded
What does “revenue stream” mean?
Also known as polypillpopping.
I have 26 Rxs, and 9 OTCs recommended (vitamins), at 72, with 6 co-morbidities. Worst part is laying-out all those pills for evening and morning ingestion, every afternoon by 5pm. Sucks to be me.
Too many people feel that they haven’t received their money’s worth for an office visit unless they leave with a new prescription.
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