The Prescription Epidemic

A growing concern about the health of today’s older Americans is the consequences that flow from having a  lot of prescription medications. It’s not unusual for older people to see several different doctors in different specialties. This article explains that this is leading to severe health problems. The patients don’t have a central listing of their prescriptions and don’t fully disclose their prescriptions to each doctor. The result often is medications that counteract each other or that are a life-threatening combination.

An increasing number of elderly patients nationwide are on multiple medications to treat chronic diseases, raising their chances of dangerous drug interactions and serious side effects. Often the drugs are prescribed by different specialists who don’t communicate with each other. If those patients are hospitalized, doctors making the rounds add to the list — and some of the drugs they prescribe may be unnecessary or unsuitable.

“This is America’s other drug problem — polypharmacy,” said Maristela Garcia, director of the inpatient geriatric unit at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, Calif. “And the problem is huge.”