Medical: Senior medication check up

According to the American Pharmacists Association, roughly 46 percent of Americans use some type of prescription medication. An even greater number of Americans (84 percent) use over-the-counter medications.

Seniors and those with chronic health problems sometimes have difficulty keeping track of multiple prescriptions. Patients may forget to take their medications or may take them incorrectly. Sometimes they continue to fill a prescription even when a medication is no longer needed or appropriate. In the one study, investigators found more than 25 percent of the patients had no regular routine for taking their medications, 21 percent hoarded extra medications, 21 percent retained discontinued medication, nearly 20 percent had expired medications, and 11 percent had duplicate prescriptions.

Christina Guthenberg, Pharm.D., Pharmacist for CVS Pharmacy says there are many reasons why seniors may have difficulty safely managing their medications. They often see more than one physician and each doctor may prescribe one or more drugs. In some cases, a physician isn’t aware that a patient is taking medications for another ailment. Normally, a pharmacist can warn a patient about dangerous combinations of drugs or when a new prescription may interfere with a current medication. But if a patient uses more than one pharmacist, there is no central record to keep track of all the prescriptions being filled. Patients also don’t always think of reporting use of over-the-counter or alternative medicines to their physician or pharmacist. Yet, these seemingly “safe” treatments can still cause dangerous side effects or drug interactions.