Adverse Drug Reactions and the Elderly

A major problem with medical treatment for the elderly is the large number of prescription medications the average older person is taking. On average a person over age 75 has five prescription drug medications and is using at least two over-the-counter medications as well as taking herbal supplements. Due to impaired ability to "clear" medications from the body, recommended dosages of prescription drugs are generally too high for older people. This can result in over-dosage drug reactions and in some cases even death.

The medical community is well aware of this problem, but finding the right dosage is often a problem because drug reactions are often masked by symptoms of the many chronic medical problems most elderly endure. In addition, older people often don't recognize or they fail to report drug reactions

Here are some facts about Medications and the Elderly

·       Older Americans comprise about 13% of the population but they consume over 30% of all prescription drugs.

·       It is estimated that 30% of the older population taking medications have had an adverse drug reaction.

·       Up to 20% of hospital admissions for the elderly are due to adverse drug reactions.

·       It is estimated that over half of the deaths attributed to adverse drug reaction are for people age 60 and above.

·       The Journal of the American Medical Association recently reported that if adverse drug reactions were classified as a disease it would rank as the fifth leading cause of death in the United States.

The most common problem with medications is that the doctor or the pharmacist may not be aware that a patient is taking a number of drugs prescribed by other doctors. Many older patients continue prescriptions with a number of doctors and specialists and no one doctor, not even the primary care physician, often knows the number or extent of medications being taken. Add onto this the fact that the elderly are most likely consuming a variety of over-the-counter medications as well as herbal supplements and it is not surprising to see the large number of adverse drug reactions and hospitalizations and deaths due to drug reactions among the elderly.

Elderly people also often fail to adhere to proper dosage and frequency of dosage with their medications. Some will take more pills than prescribed because they think more is better and will cure the condition faster. Others have a non compliant attitude towards medical treatment in general and often refuse to take any drugs prescribed for them. Many are confused or have memory problems and aren't even aware they have taken pills or need to take pills.

Caregivers may not be aware of these problems.  It is extremely important for family or other people, responsible for the care of the elderly, to be aware of the danger of drug interaction and to manage medications for their loved ones.