Am I the only one who thinks that the elderly are taking too many drugs both otc and prescription. I knew some older pt.s who take four different meds to lower blood sugar, two different meds to lower cholesterol. several BP meds, Ace inhibitors, beta blockers and on and on.
Add that to multiple physicians ordering drugs. And some doctors won't decrease this when they are made aware of this.
Just seems that the entire focus of nursing home, home health and hospital work centers around medications.
i have had my clinicals for a while now, first thing i noticed was polypharmacy.
most of my pts were on 20-30 drugs each day. i just cannot imagine how come their body can stand so integration, we all know aging process and its consequences so i just am amzing and scared that mostly this people still are alive because of drugs and its addiction. i know the deseases require treatment but at some piont it is too much ingeration.
i hope i use to it more thru my school and later on, :)
When I worked at the state psych hospital we had a patient who was very violent. He was taking a lot of different pills to calm him down and he was just getting worse. Finally, the doctor took him off all of his meds. He cleared up once he got off all the drugs and was eventually discharged from the hospital.
Specializes in LTC, ER, ICU, Psych, Med-surg...etc....
I was passing meds and came to one of my patients with her "cupfull" of pills. She poured them out in her hand and looked at them and said, "Do you really think that all these pills know where they are supposed to go?"
I definitely agree and am horrified by some of the med lists I see today. Sometimes i wonder about this healthcare system. "Better living through chemistry"' seems the motto and somebody's sure making $$$$ out of this.
Yeah! Don't ya love our "WAR ON DRUGS". We are sending mixed messages= These drugs are BAD- while these drugs are GOOD. Don't make sense to me!
Yes...they are taking too many...Some of you in LTC might be familiar with the Beers List. I think more than 9 meds will trigger on the QI reports. Not only are they taking too many meds, but also the wrong type of meds for the elderly.
Yes...they are taking too many...Some of you in LTC might be familiar with the Beers List. I think more than 9 meds will trigger on the QI reports. Not only are they taking too many meds, but also the wrong type of meds for the elderly.
I was just reading the thread about using smoking to counter the stress felt during nursing school and there was a comment about a physician who said that taking Xanax was better than smoking a cig. I mentioned other more healthy ways to counter-act normal stress.
But have you seen the tv ads for meds for simply being what amounts to being shy in public? Taking an anti-anxiety drug for shyness?
Our whole society has moved to taking a pill for everything. Did it start with docs or are docs merely responding to the public wants?
I was just reading the thread about using smoking to counter the stress felt during nursing school and there was a comment about a physician who said that taking Xanax was better than smoking a cig. I mentioned other more healthy ways to counter-act normal stress.
But have you seen the tv ads for meds for simply being what amounts to being shy in public? Taking an anti-anxiety drug for shyness?
Our whole society has moved to taking a pill for everything. Did it start with docs or are docs merely responding to the public wants?
I noticed in LTC that many elderly patients were taking upwards of 25 to 30 pills per day. No wonder they c/o being sick.....imagine all the side effects & adverse reactions. My favorite- is multiple stool softeners and laxatives. When I ask- why not prune juice? I hear- "Prune juice is too expensive. Medicare pays for laxatives & enemas."
I noticed in LTC that many elderly patients were taking upwards of 25 to 30 pills per day. No wonder they c/o being sick.....imagine all the side effects & adverse reactions. My favorite- is multiple stool softeners and laxatives. When I ask- why not prune juice? I hear- "Prune juice is too expensive. Medicare pays for laxatives & enemas."
I think it should be one of the responsibilities of the pharmacies to look at all of the meds given for the very same conditions. For instance, I have some residents who are on 4 different medications for GERD. Because the pharmacy we contract with prints up all of these MARs shouldn't they also review the meds for polypharmacy or overlapping medications?
At the faciltiy I work in, we have recently gotten a new in house physicain. He has done major cuts to some of our overmedicated residents. We have seen behaviors decrease from our residents, and our med nurses are happier too :chuckle . As an aside, did any one read the recent article in the AARP magazine about the pharmacist who consults for nursing home residents and has been making HUGE differences in their health. It's a great article if any one is interested.
I mentioned other more healthy ways to counter-act normal stress.
kathy_79
132 Posts
yes, yes, yes,
i have had my clinicals for a while now, first thing i noticed was polypharmacy.
most of my pts were on 20-30 drugs each day. i just cannot imagine how come their body can stand so integration, we all know aging process and its consequences so i just am amzing and scared that mostly this people still are alive because of drugs and its addiction. i know the deseases require treatment but at some piont it is too much ingeration.
i hope i use to it more thru my school and later on, :)