Taking a handful of pills is a daily habit for many people, from adolescence to anxiety Elderly people Chronic illnessOverall, 13% of Americans take five or more prescription drugs. For people over 65, that number is 42%.
If you’re taking multiple medications, it’s wise to be aware of potential problems: You may experience a side effect from one pill, then experience a different side effect when you take another, a situation experts call “prescription cascade.”
Some medications can become harmful if taken for years, others may become less effective or interact with new medications, and medications that are initially well tolerated can later cause side effects that can lead to cognitive decline or injury from falls.
“Our metabolism changes as we age,” says Elizabeth Bayliss, PhD, who studies deprescription at the Kaiser Permanente Health Research Institute in Aurora, Colo. “Everyone’s ability to metabolize drugs that they’ve been taking for a long time can change.”
The nonprofit organization, the Loan Institute, puts the whole situation in perspective. Drug overdose This will result in 4.6 million hospital visits over the course of the decade.
If taking your daily medication is becoming unmanageable, ask for a medication review. Here’s how to begin a process called “tapering.”
Request a prescription inspection
Lisa McCarthy, a pharmacist and medication reduction expert at the University of Toronto, said people should start by talking to a trusted professional, like their doctor or pharmacist.
This story is part of AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on health, fitness, diet and mental health. Read more Stay healthy.
If you have a question for your doctor, don’t wait until the end of the 15-minute consultation. Instead, make a dedicated appointment and mention you’d like to discuss medications during the appointment, says McCarthy.
When other prescribers are involved, doctors may not have a complete picture of what a patient is taking, and some doctors are hesitant to manage medications prescribed by other prescribers. That’s when pharmacists can help by taking a look at everything and putting together suggestions to share with doctors, says Bradley Phillips, a pharmacist at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy.
“We’re considered to be experts in medicine,” Phillips said.
Could my medication be causing the problem?
Swelling, incontinence, restlessness, insomnia — all of these are side effects caused by common medications and sometimes treated with newer drugs. McCarthy wants people to ask their doctors a simple question: “Could this symptom be related to one of the medications I’m taking?”
“If we could teach the public to ask that question, that would be very effective,” McCarthy said, and she suggested a follow-up question: “Do I still need this medication?”
Pharmacist Barbara Farrell has seen dramatic changes in many of the people she helps at her outpatient seniors’ centre in Ottawa, Ontario, including some who have recovered from drug-induced dementia after reducing their medications. 77-year-old woman She was able to get out of her wheelchair and walk with a cane after reducing her daily medication from 32 to 17. She arrived sedated and unable to communicate, but after a few months she resumed her hobby of knitting.
It takes time to stop taking drugs
While some medications can be stopped abruptly, others must be tapered slowly to prevent unpleasant withdrawal symptoms or life-threatening seizures. Gradual tapering is especially important for medications for depression, insomnia, and anxiety.
After 20 years of taking various medications to treat these conditions, Molly Bernardi, a therapist in Spokane, Washington, has begun gradually tapering off her medication.
The 45-year-old suspected the drugs were to blame for her worsening symptoms, including problems with digestion, balance, memory, muscle stiffness and flickering spots in her vision, and after scans ruled out other possible illnesses, she gradually weaned herself off the four medications.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Bernardi said.
One of the last drugs she quit was the hardest: a benzodiazepine, a type of sedative that can be harmful if taken long-term. For three months, she used a kitchen knife and nail file to cut a 1-milligram tablet into smaller and smaller pieces each day.
She listened to her body, found support groups on Facebook, and got through the withdrawal symptoms with breathing exercises and prayer.
“Now, when I have a good day, a good time, a good moment, I feel a sense of peace and presence that I haven’t experienced since before I was on medication,” Bernardi said. “I’m just experiencing little bits of greatness, and it’s those little bits of greatness that keep me going.”
Manage your medication list
McCarthy said even in the most connected health systems, doctors don’t always share information about prescriptions, and doctors may not know about a patient’s over-the-counter medications, vitamins or CBD gummies they take every night.
“Only you know all of the medications you’re taking,” says McCarthy, so always keep a list of the medications you’re taking, why they were prescribed, and when you started taking them.
For an example of a medication list, which McCarthy called a “very powerful” tool: Workshop Materials She and her colleagues designed it.
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