Elderly Medication Use Requires Caution: Pharmacist Warns of 5 Hidden Dangers in Polypharmacy

Elderly individuals managing multiple chronic conditions often face the risks associated with polypharmacy, defined as taking five or more medications simultaneously. This common practice can lead to significant health hazards, including dangerous drug interactions, a doubled risk of side effects, and an increased likelihood of falls and fractures.

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Polypharmacy usually means taking five or more medications simultaneously. For seniors with multiple chronic conditions, polypharmacy is very common, but it hides five major health risks: drug interactions, doubled incidence of side effects, increased risk of falls and fractures, liver and kidney damage, and the risk of duplicate medication.

Pharmacist Chiang Yen-lin of Taipei City Hospital's Zhongxiao Branch highlights five major hidden risks. These include drug interactions where medications or supplements may amplify each other's effects, leading to toxicity, or counteract each other, rendering them ineffective. The sheer number of drugs also makes side effects unpredictable, with common symptoms like dizziness, drowsiness, loss of appetite, or gastrointestinal discomfort.

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Multiple medications taken simultaneously may interact with each other, or with health supplements, potentially increasing drug effects (leading to toxicity) or canceling them out (losing therapeutic effect).

Furthermore, certain medications, such as those for blood pressure, sedatives, or painkillers, can impair balance and cause dizziness, potentially increasing the risk of falls and fractures by 1.5 to three times. Long-term, high-volume medication use also places a heavy burden on the liver and kidneys, potentially leading to organ damage or failure. A critical concern is the risk of duplicate prescriptions, especially when patients see multiple doctors across different institutions without a consolidated medication record, leading to an overdose of identical or similar ingredients.

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The more medications there are, the more unpredictable the side effects become. Common symptoms include dizziness, drowsiness, loss of appetite, or gastrointestinal discomfort.

To mitigate these risks, the Food and Drug Administration advises regular medication reviews. Patients should proactively inform their doctors about all current medications, including traditional Chinese medicine and supplements, utilizing tools like the National Health Insurance Administration's "Health-e-Citizen" app to check cloud-based medical records. Consulting a professional pharmacist is also crucial; bringing all medication bags to a healthcare facility or community pharmacy allows pharmacists to perform a "drug integration" to identify and rectify any duplicate or inappropriate prescriptions. Finally, patients are urged never to self-adjust dosages or take unverified "miracle drugs" recommended by friends, emphasizing adherence to professional guidance for enhanced medication safety.

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Certain medications, such as those for blood pressure, sedatives, or painkillers, may cause poor balance or dizziness. Research shows that polypharmacy can increase the risk of falls in the elderly by 1.5 to 3 times.