Century Park Blog

By the age of 60, most Americans are taking at least one prescription medication for a chronic health condition like high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes. The regular use of prescriptions – polypharmacy – may increase the risk of overmedication, especially in older adults.

What is polypharmacy?

Polypharmacy is the use of multiple prescription drugs. According to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one third of American adults in their 60s and 70s use five or more prescription drugs regularly. The more medicines a person takes, the higher chance of overmedication, side effects, oversedation and other problems.

Adults, particularly those 60 and older, may take multiple medicines for coexisting chronic conditions, such as: high blood pressure, diabetes, insomnia, arthritis, high cholesterol, asthma, COPD, coronary heart disease and depression.

Many times, a medication that was prescribed years earlier for a condition is no longer necessary but is continuing to be taken. A “prescription cascade” can occur when patients are prescribed medication to offset side effects caused by other drugs they are taking, compounding the risk of polypharmacy.

Nonprescribed drugs and products can factor in too. Some herbal and nutritional supplements are aggressively marketed to older adults with little scientific evidence to back up their claims. They can interact with prescription medicines and cause side effects.

Polypharmacy Symptoms

Symptoms of polypharmacy can include:

• Reduced alertness
• Confusion or cognitive problems
• Falls and accidents
• Weakness and dizziness
• Loss of appetite
• Skin rashes
• GI problems
• Depression
• Anxiety

Managing Polypharmacy

The best polypharmacy prevention measure is regular checkups with a health care professional, including medication review. It also involves understanding what matters most to the patient – whether it is managing a health condition or avoiding intolerable side effects. It is a highly individualized process with careful listening and candid conversation between the patient, family and health care professional.

In some cases, a doctor may deprescribe a drug that is no longer needed or one in which the side effects outweigh the medication’s benefit. Deprescription involves the doctor working with the patient and family to ensure the patient is safely tapered off those medicines that would cause problems if stopped abruptly and monitoring them for any returning health problems.