{"id":525,"date":"2015-04-22T01:13:05","date_gmt":"2015-04-22T01:13:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/assistinghands.com\/chicagoland-naperville\/?p=525"},"modified":"2021-09-29T03:34:10","modified_gmt":"2021-09-29T03:34:10","slug":"can-taking-too-many-medications-carry-health-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/can-taking-too-many-medications-carry-health-risks\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Taking Too Many Medications Carry Health Risks?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_610\" style=\"width: 160px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-610\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-610\" src=\"\/8\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2016\/12\/pill_bottles1-150x99.jpg\" alt=\"Medications\" width=\"150\" height=\"99\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-610\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Medications<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The pharmaceutical and drug manufacturers provide many options for treatment of healthcare conditions that in the past were fatal.\u00a0 While these medications have benefits they also have risks.\u00a0 The risks of medication are due to their chemical nature.\u00a0 One medication in isolation may not be problematic, but the cumulative effect of many medications for multiple conditions causes difficulty.<\/p>\n<p>Not only is the number of medications of concern, but in the senior population the destruction and excretion of the medication is less efficient due to the aging body systems and organs. \u00a0The term poly pharmacy is used to describe the multiple medications that seniors take.\u00a0 Research validates this issue and demonstrates the impact of some classes of medication being more problematic than others.<\/p>\n<p>Dutch researchers have combined data from 19 separate studies conducted in 11 Western countries, which found approximately one in five prescriptions written for elderly patients were inappropriate. And, the analysis showed common drugs classed to treat allergies, depression, and pain were among the most overprescribed, and also the ones most likely to produce adverse reactions.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Barbara Paris the director of the division of geriatrics at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn estimates that about 30 percent of hospital admissions of elderly patients are related to the toxic effects of some medications.<\/p>\n<p>Here is some advice about medications based on my 30 years of experience in medication management while working with seniors:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Be your own advocate. Ask the healthcare provider about the medications that are being prescribed, including side effects, drug interactions and if there are safer or alternative medications.\u00a0 Seniors may not need the medication or there may be alternatives that are less costly and just as effective.\u00a0 Although a senior may have been on a medication for a long time,that does not mean that they still need the medication or that the medication continues to be the right treatment.\u00a0 Our body changes with time. Ask questions.<\/li>\n<li>Bring all medications your loved one is taking <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">to every physician office visit <\/span>and to the emergency room or for hospital inpatient or outpatient procedures. This includes those that are over the counter, natural or herbal remedies and prescriptions provided by other healthcare providers.\u00a0 Healthcare providers may not know the other members of the healthcare team.\u00a0 It is up to you to provide each provider with that information and your loved one\u2019s medications. If possible, have the senior carry a list of all of their medications in their purse or wallet.\u00a0 Update the list after each healthcare provider visit.<\/li>\n<li>Medications are expensive. Ask your loved one\u2019s physician about more inexpensive alternatives.\u00a0 This might include combination medications or medications where a pill is scored so it can be safely cut in half.\u00a0 If a senior is on a new medication, ask for a limited amount of prescription to prevent waste and manage cost more effectively.\u00a0 The newest medication on the market is not always the best one.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Medications are chemicals and each medication has side effects.\u00a0 The concern for those who take multiple medications is the potential for adverse reactions due to the cumulative effect of all of the medications.\u00a0 Further, what works for one person may not work for another.\u00a0 As a young adult your body works differently than the aged person\u2019s body.\u00a0 Regardless of your age, condition and medications, act as your own advocate.\u00a0 If you are not comfortable in that role, ask someone to help you.\u00a0 An <a href=\"http:\/\/assistinghands.com\/20\/illinois\/hinsdale\/services\/elderly-care-services\/\">Eldercare<\/a> Navigator \u00a0can help you through the confusing maze.<br \/>\nThanks to Mardy Chizek, RN,FNP,BSN,MBA,AAS, president of Charism Eldercare Services, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.charism.net\">www.charism.net<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The pharmaceutical and drug manufacturers provide many options for treatment of healthcare conditions that in the past were fatal.\u00a0 While these medications have benefits they also have risks.\u00a0 The risks of medication are due to their chemical nature.\u00a0 One medication in isolation may not be problematic, but the cumulative effect of many medications for multiple conditions causes difficulty. Not only&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,15],"tags":[41,12,8,14,17,24],"class_list":["post-525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","category-medications","tag-aging","tag-elder-care","tag-home-care","tag-medication","tag-senior-care","tag-senior-health"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Too Many Medications Carry Health Risks? - Home Care<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The pharmaceutical and drug manufacturers provide many options for treatment of healthcare conditions that in the past were fatal. While these medications have benefits they also have risks. The risks of medication are due to their chemical nature. 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Ueberfluss\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/can-taking-too-many-medications-carry-health-risks\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/8\/illinois\/chicagoland-naperville\/blog\/can-taking-too-many-medications-carry-health-risks\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Richard E. 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