Are You Taking Too Many Medications?

Taking multiple medications, usually six or more, to treat a single ailment or disease is called polypharmacy. At times, this may be necessary due to the nature of illness. It may not be surprising that polypharmacy is more common in the elderly, where studies have shown it impacts more than 35% of older adults. It’s important to note, taking many medications as one ages increases the risk of adverse reactions due to age-related metabolic changes and reduced drug clearances. Some side effects are easily recognized, while others are in “God Only Knows” territory.

At Click2MD, our goal is for people to only take medications that are necessary, have good safety and medication interaction profiles and are cost-effective. We also believe it is important to think carefully about over-the-counter (OTC) medications and supplements. Analyze the reasons you are taking these, potential impacts when they interact with your prescription medications, side effects and costs. Most likely there are benefits with some disclaimers in the fine print. It’s important to note OTC medications, including herbal supplements, are not stringently regulated in the United States.

Here are some suggestions on what to do next time you go to the doctor’s office:

• Take all your medications, including OTC medications and supplements, in a bag

• Go over these medications so your physician or provider has a complete list (your provider may be able to give you a printed list of all your medications for your records as well)

• When being prescribed a new medication, ask the following:

  • What I am taking this medication for?

  • Is this medication necessary?

  • Would it replace any of my current medications?

  • Are there any side effects that I need to watch for?

  • Are there any generic or low-cost alternatives available?

While this may sound excessive, it will only take the physician or provider a few minutes to address these questions. It also serves as a check to make sure you and your provider are on the same page. Analyzing and managing medications is critical and helps avoid potential medical errors and excessive prescribing. At the end of the day, always remember you are your own best advocate.

At Click2MD, we offer medication management services for $29 per month. We work with you to analyze all the medications you are taking, making sure all are necessary and that you are not being subjected to unreasonable costs. Visit us at click2mdny.com to learn more about our services and pricing.

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About Click2MD

Click2MD, led by Dr. Mian Majeed, is a medical home care and direct primary care (DPC) practice. Our goal is to keep our medical home care members out of long-term care facilities so they may age at home - improving one's quality of life, while also resulting in significant cost savings. Our primary care practice operates outside of health insurance and offers quality care at transparent prices. No more surprise billing. Visit click2mdny.com for more information about our services and pricing.