If you’re 50+ you need to ask yourself are the drugs I’m taking doing more harm than good? 

     Last year, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that nearly 7 million older Americans -- about one-fifth of the population age 65 or older -- are given medications that are rarely appropriate for people their age. The dosage, that is prescribed, is also often incorrect. The results -- a huge number of adverse drug reactions, many of which require hospitalization.
    How does this happen? It all goes back to the training that today’s doctors have received in medical school. Pediatric care is mandatory in all U.S. medical schools, but geriatric care, if taught at all is glossed over.
      There is a another fly in the ointment.  According to Dr. Sidney M. Wolfe, the lead author of  “Worst Pills, Best Pills,” few of the drugs that that are most commonly used by older adults are ever tested on them.
      What doctors and the public need to know is that the recommended dosage for most medications is based on a 154 lb. man with normal metabolism. No allowance is given for age. It is a known fact, however, that as you age, the human body has less muscle mass, a slower metabolism, and develops a greater sensitivity to many drugs.  With age, two important organs, the liver and kidney, are less able to process drugs and clear them from the body.  The key question you should ask a doctor before he writes you a prescription:  Is this the proper dose for my age and weight?
      The fact that many older adults suffer from more than one disease is a prescription for disaster.  The more diseases one has, inevitably, the more prescribed drugs. This means the likelihood for adverse reactions and interactions dramatically increases.
      The fact that older adults have an increased sensitivity to drugs is particularly troubling, especially when it comes to the class of drugs that act on the nervous system. Taken at the same dosage as a young person, tranquilizers for example, can accumulate in an older person’s body at dangerously high levels and for longer periods of time.  Being overly sedated can lead to tragic falls and hip fractures. 
      Would you believe that even some older adults’ deaths during a heat wave could be attributed to drugs that interfere with the body’s temperature regulation?  It is well known that as you grow older, it becomes harder for your body to withstand temperature extremes.          

As you can see, there’s a big problem with the way drugs are being prescribed for older Americans in this country.  What can you do to protect yourself?

1. Educate yourself about the medicines you’re taking.  Each year have several medication reviews with your primary care doctor or pharmacist. Be sure to include any over the counter medications you might be taking.

2. To find out more about the adverse ways drugs can interact, I recommend the book,  “Worst Pills, Best Pills” By Dr. Sidney M. Wolfe. 

3. Remember, when it comes to 21st century medicine you have to be your own patient advocate. Its been reported that 70 percent of doctors treating Medicare patients don’t have the expertise needed to prescribe medications for older patients.

      Finally, I would be remiss, if I didn’t mention that patients sometimes contribute to their own medication woes.  One “dirty little secret” in health care is that many patients ignore doctors’ orders and take prescribed medications irregularly, if at all.  The reasons patients give for stopping -- or never starting medications vary. Some simply forget. Others lack either money or insurance. Some can’t tolerate the side effects.
    Many people take their medications haphazardly. I ‘ve been there done that and I can tell you that this behavior can lead to even more health problems.  Now I’m an informed and compliant patient. Be one too!