Study: Why overprescription is becoming a serious problem

By Joe Morgan via SWNS

Taking too many medications may be worsening dementia and increasing the risk of delirium in elderly people, warns a new study.

Overprescription is a growing concern among carers of older people who say more than six pills a day could actually be worsening cognitive decline.

Nearly two in three seniors (58 percent) with probable or possible dementia had otherwise good to excellent health, yet more than half of the total took six or more regular medications.

Every new pill brings a risk of adverse drug interactions, poor outcomes and can exacerbate dementia.

In a new study, 87 percent of elderly people would be willing to stop at least one medication "if their doctor said it was possible."

This increased to 92 percent of participants who were taking six or more medications.

Researchers tracked a national sample of 422 people where three quarters were 75-plus, 44 percent had possible dementia and 56 percent had probable dementia.

Dr. Matthew Growden, at the University of California, San Fransisco, said: "Taking six medications or more contributes to challenges with adherence, since more complicated medication regimens require more time and attention, and increase the potential for making mistakes and inadvertent misuse.

“Many drugs may be especially harmful to older adults with cognitive impairment, such as benzodiazepines, used to treat anxiety, and oxybutynin used to treat urinary incontinence.

"These drugs have sedating effects that increase the risk of delirium and can worsen dementia.

"Deprescribing is about medical optimization.

"Rather than taking away medications, we should strive to ensure that the benefits outweigh risks and that we are prescribing in line with goals of care, and taking into consideration factors in older adults, like frailty, multimorbidity, cognitive impairment and functional status.

"One thing this study can hopefully add is that patient/family resistance to deprescribing should not be seen as a barrier.”

Dr. Kenneth Boockvar, at Mount Sinai Hospital, said: “Our aim as geriatricians is to prescribe medications to help older people achieve their health and function goals, especially those with dementia.

“We need to avoid or stop taking medications that do not further those goals. That’s where deprescribing comes in.”

The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.