Around one in five adults between the ages of 40 to 79 is taking five or more prescription drugs, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
And the older patients are, the more likely it is they’re taking even more medications.
But taking many medicines simultaneously, known among medical experts as polypharmacy, increases people’s risk of experiencing severe side effects and drug interactions, said Dr. Nina Blachman, an assistant professor of medicine and geriatrics at the N.Y.U.
Studies show that taking multiple medications is associated with a faster decline in memory in some patients with mild cognitive impairment, and with a greater risk of falls among people with balance problems or weakened muscles.
Many are never taken off the drugs they’ve been prescribed for years, even if they no longer need them or if there are newer formulations available that can treat different symptoms simultaneously..
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Organizations:
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