Some prescriptions must be taken once a day, others two
or three times daily. Some must be taken with food while
others are more effective taken on an empty stomach. Some
have very specific instructions that must be followed to
the letter and not combined with other medications or supplements
that could cause reactions.
It is a lot to keep track of and is part of what experts
call polypharmacy: the taking of many drugs together. In
order to get the highest benefits and none of the adverse
reactions from prescription drugs it is crucial that you
take the right medica-tion, in the right amount, at the
right time.
Drug interactions can be dangerous, even lethal, and as
you age the chances that you will be on a growing list of
multiple medications increases. Statistics put the number
of drug interaction deaths in the tens of thousands per
year, and the majority of those are elders. Some of the
things that can go wrong include:
- One drug reduces OR increases the effects of another
- One drug neutralizes another
- Two drugs taken together cause an unexpected danger-
ous reaction
Over-the-counter preparations and even foods can affect
prescription medications. For example, decongestants interact
with diuretics to increase blood pressure, and iron supplements
can affect absorption of antibiotics and even other vitamins.
Food can speed up or slow down the action of medications,
and even more dangerous, alcohol consumption can be hazardous
when mixed with prescription drugs. Always ask your doctor
about how to take your medicine and what interactions you
might expect from other prescriptions, foods, vitamin supplements
and alcohol.
So what can you do to manage your polypharmacy in order
to maintain the best results and the safest conditions?
- Use one pharmacy if at all possible. They keep records
of your prescriptions and can coordinate them with your
doctor.
- Ask for larger print on your prescription labels and
the directions that go with them. And do not transfer
pills from the original container to another.
- Take medication exactly as it was prescribed and do
not change the times or doses without consulting your
physician.
- Develop a system for organizing your pills to keep track
of how and when to take them. Plastic pill organizers
with compartments for each day can be filled weekly. Or
you may need compartments for morning, noon and night.
Another method uses a weekly chart with names of each
drug and the time written under the days of the week.
Each time you take a pill cross it out for that time of
day. Don't feel shy about asking a friend or family member
to help you develop a system or fill your pill organizer.
Because being on multiple medications opens the door
to drug interactions, you need to be aware of warning signs:
dizziness, loss of appetite, amnesia, falls, anxiety
and confusion, constipation or diarrhea, excessive drowsiness
during daytime hours, or heightened dependence.
Our fragmented health care system and the high cost of
prescription drugs have put older adults at risk. Both have
led to dangerous choices and practices among elders, such
as sharing and borrowing drugs, stretching out doses to
extend prescriptions for longer periods, and taking expired
medications. Adverse drug reactions is another common risk
factor among today's seniors because of the high number
of drugs they must take. But with proper management, your
medications will support your life, not threaten it.
RESOURCES
Senior Help-Line (800-642-5119) can get you the help
you need with managing your polypharmacy.
Senior Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), Marlene Eddy, Coordina-
tor. 802-885-6636
Community of Vermont Elders (COVE), 802-229-4731, has
pro- grams and materials about prescription drug use.
Your Local Pharmacist: ask questions and seek guidance
from
the person who fills your prescriptions. They can give
you the best instructions and inform you of possible ad-
verse reactions.
Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) 802-295-2604
AARP (800-424-3410) is a resource for information and
free materials about medication management (www.aarp.org).
