Are the elderly taking too many drugs?

[payday]

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.

[Cubby]

My newest heroine says it best "Hell Yeah" (Gretchen Wilson)

[dekatn]

We have a NP that is constantly playing with the meds, we have new meds ordered almost on a daily basis. The kicker for me this past week, she ordered Nullo for almost every pt. in the nh, get this, due to body odor!

Give me a break, give 'em a bath, brush their teeth , keep 'em clean and dry. It's amazing what a little soap and water would do. Not to mention that Nullo is better than any permanent dye I have ever seen, pretty dark shade of green that bonds permanently to anything it touches. Especially when you have to crush and mix with some other substance, putting in g-tubes is a blast too!! We are required to wear white uniforms, caps and all, so if you can just picture this, anyone that is accustomed to giving a.m. meds to sleepy and combative pt. can imagine what we look like by the time we go home. Sorry for the long post, couldn't help myself, I've needed to get this off my chest all week. We have pt. on 10, 20 and 30 pills qd, not to mention the inhalers, neb tx, eye gtts, etc, etc. And they want to know why so and so doesn't have an appetite at breakfast, ( i work 11-7), could be because they are so full of pills and water, applesauce, ensure etc. from the 6a med pass. :angryfire

[findingmywayRN]

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."

OMG!!! They actually said that? Patients can get addicted to laxatives!

Speaking of polypharmacy, how about the over use of acetaminophen? I see residents getting it Q4H - but for how many months, etc.? I have even seen it written for "aggitation"! When does liver damage begin?

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

The Beers List http://www.tahsa.org/files%2FDDF%2Fmedbeer1.pdf

Here is a link for the Beers list. It explains the use of poly pharm in elderly and the risky meds for elderly. Our docs received a copy and so did the pharmacist. For the most part we follow this

[payday]

I forgot to mention herbals. Home care and even nursing home patients are taking them along with all the things mentioned here.... Mists, inhalers, lotion, cream,....

If we were to have the government pay for all this-- polypharmacy must be addressed. Maybe that's another thread. But can we really afford all this? And new drugs are coming out all the time.

I believe in better living through nutrition and gentle exercise. Thank God the cereal companies are switching to whole grain.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

We have a nurse practitioner who has many patients at my facility. She loves to order meds. She was actually proud that the state was looking into her prescribing practices! Part of the problem is the docs who don't want to spend the time to assess the meds and the real need for them. Maybe when the patient was younger and at home they needed all those antihypertensives. Now that they are older, thinner and less active, why not back off on some of the meds and check their pressures for a week or so?!?

My GYN told me he has a rule that should apply to everyone especially LTC patients. You are allowed to take 3 different meds a day. If your doc wants to prescribe a 4th, he must decide which of the first 3 to dc....works for me.