Re: Mixing Drugs Can Be Dangerous

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Cheerful

Joined: 14-Aug-2007
Posts: 123

Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 03:10 am Post topic: Mixing Drugs Can Be Dangerous
Polypharmacy is otherwise known as a “poisonous cocktail” of many drugs that can interact in dangerous ways and cause side effects that can be far worse than the diseases they are treating. Polypharmacy is responsible for up to 28 percent of hospital admissions and, if it were classified as such, it would be the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. Elderly people are especially vulnerable because they often have several medical problems for which they see different doctors, each prescribing drugs, often without knowing what else the patient is taking. The elderly take about 40 percent of prescribed drugs, roughly twice what younger adults take, and that they suffer twice as many adverse drug reactions as younger people.
Tags: elderly , polypharmacy , leading-cause-of-death

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RavenCares

Joined: 25-Jul-2007
Posts: 197

Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 05:13 am Post topic: Mixing Drugs Can Be Dangerous
Cheerful, thank you so much for warning us about the dangers of polypharmacy! It is indeed a very dangerous practice. My best friend's mother had to be hospitalized several times in her 80s because of the adverse interactions between numerous medications. It always amazes me when I see a patient who is taking over 10 different medications at the same time.

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sadielady

Joined: 26-Aug-2007
Posts: 42

Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 09:21 pm Post topic: Mixing Drugs Can Be Dangerous
I can remember my grandmother taking lots of prescriptions drugs as a little girl. Today I have learned that many medications are given to counteract the side effects of others. Thanks for sharing. Sadie

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