The same medication that you’ve been taking for years could be slowly poisoning you because as you age, your ability to tolerate medication changes.
In today’s Health Alert, you’ll find out why doctors often prescribe too high of a dose for certain medications. I’ll also show you how asking the right questions can protect your health.
How to Know if You May Be Overmedicating
Your body recognizes medications as foreign substances and tries to remove them. For most medications, your liver first “detoxifies” the drug then your kidneys excrete this metabolite in the urine.
As you age both your liver and your kidneys slow down. They have a harder time processing drugs and their rate of removal decreases. So if you are removing less and still taking the same amount, medicines can slowly build up in the body. This buildup can cause you to be in a perpetual state of overmedication.
Symptoms of overmedication occur gradually. Often, they are chalked up to “growing older.” Fatigue, confusion, dizziness, weakness, memory loss, loss of balance, impotence and constipation are only a few side effects of overmedication. The medication that your body easily tolerated ten or twenty years ago may be the very reason you don’t feel as well now as you did then.
Doctors are often unaware of the special medication needs of older people. And, the problem is widespread. Research from the Harvard Medical School proves this point.
Researchers reviewed 6,171 medical records of people over 65. Over 23 percent were taking drugs that are deemed unsafe for older people. The authors of the study found “a disturbingly high level of potentially inappropriate prescribing for older people…”1
Drug side effects can also affect older people differently. The government estimates that 163,000 older people experience mental impairment that is caused or worsened by medication.
Take Back Control of Your Own Health
Doctors are often unfamiliar with the specialized dosing concerns in elders. Many of the patients who come to my clinic often report an unwillingness of their specialist physicians to recognize the side effects of the medications they prescribe.
As always, it is important to have good communication with your doctor. Here are some important questions you should ask about your medication:
The Best Questions to Ask Your Doctor:
- What exactly is the medication supposed to do?
- What are the alternatives to this medication?
- Is this dose suitable for my age?
- How long is it safe to take it?
- What are the side effects of the medication?
- What are the symptoms of overmedication?
- Does this drug interact with other medications?
- Are there any special precautions with this medication?
It is easy to forget the specifics of any given medication, especially if you are taking several. Be sure to write down information about the drug. Or, have your doctor give you an information form.
Have your medication and the dose evaluated often. And, if you suspect that you are being overmedicated, talk to your doctor. In many cases, your doctor can perform tests that can tell if your medication is causing side effects.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
1 Willcox SA, Himmelstein DU, Woolhandler S. Inappropriate Drug Prescribing for the Community Dwelling Elderly. JAMA 1994; 272: 292-296