“Use of multiple drugs, especially in older adults, can exacerbate ailments.”  Siri Carpenter

How aware are you of the various interactions between medications that you or your loved ones are taking?

The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.  (Prov. 20:29; NIV)

Today’s story comes from an article sent out by MSNBC.com.  I could so relate to this story that with a few minor changes I could have written this about my own parents.  I’ve witnessed this very thing in both my mother and my father.

“About a year ago, my mother told my father there was a movie she really wanted to see and suggested they catch it that evening. Great idea - except that, as my dad gently reminded her, they had just seen it.

“Though he tried to make light of it at the time, Mom’s memory lapse was not an isolated event. She often repeated herself, misplaced one thing after another, and neglected commitments she didn’t remember making. A woman with a gift for banter, she now found it difficult to carry on a conversation because she was so easily distracted. Most disturbing of all: She was only 61.

“Mom, too, sensed something was wrong.

“A teacher of English as a second language, she was known for her supple mind but now felt as if her brain was shrouded in fog. ‘I’m not as smart as I used to be,’ she told me recently. Fearing she might be suffering from some kind of early onset dementia, she made an appointment with a neuropsychologist and asked me to go with her.

“I said I would, even though I suspected another culprit: the potent brew of medications she was taking for the litany of medical problems that has plagued her for years. She consumed so many drugs every day - 21 of them, prescribed to her by five different physicians-that she lugged them around in a toolbox. A partial list: two blood pressure medications, four for asthma, a cholesterol-lowering statin, and several others to treat her diabetes, fibromyalgia, depression, fatigue, and acid reflux. I assumed that, to coordinate this chemical assault upon her ailments, my mom’s doctors talked to each other regularly, that her internist was closely monitoring her medications to prevent any dangerous interactions, and that every pill Mom popped was part of a carefully crafted treatment plan.

“How naive.

“When I took my mom to see the neuropsychologist, I was startled to learn just how naive my assumption was. The specialist dismissed outright my suggestion that polypharmacy (the use of multiple meds) might be to blame for Mom’s porous memory and perhaps some of her other ailments as well. Without even knowing what my mom was taking (never mind the sheer quantity), she confidently asserted that drug-related problems come on more suddenly. I’m not a medical doctor, either, but I do have a PhD in psychology and know that complex situations can be unpredictable. The neuropsychologist’s blithe dismissal irked me, so I did some research on my own.

“Here’s what I learned: The use of multiple, often unnecessary medications - especially among older people - is an entrenched, escalating, frightening, and mostly unexamined problem in modern health care. Although medications can ease many conditions, multiple-drug use often exacerbates existing ailments and causes troubling side effects that are treated with yet more drugs. Many doctors, researchers, and pharmacists I talked to agree. ‘Overmedication is a true epidemic,’ says Armon B. Neel Jr., PharmD, a clinical pharmacist in Georgia who evaluates medication plans for private and nursing home clients. ‘It’s completely out of hand.’

“I also learned that, with the help of professionals, a determined patient can dramatically scale back her prescription drug use and eliminate, or at least reduce, the jumble of side effects that has clearly contributed to her downward spiral. That’s what my mom did, emerging from her med-induced fog to reclaim her former vibrant self. This is the story of her comeback — a cautionary tale for everyone who takes several medications every day.”

Stay tuned for the remainder of the story.

Prayer Power
Father, we thank You for Your hand of protection on our readers.  May we all continue to seek You for truth about how to care for our bodies.

Link of the Day
Elderly at high risk of harm from toxic pharmaceutical combinations

Blessings on you as you honor your parents.