© Heidi de Marco/KHNPharmacist Dominick Bailey reviews the medications being used by Harriet Diamond, 84, who was in the geriatric unit at the UCLA Medical Center for knee surgery.
A doctor had prescribed blood pressure medication for a 99-year-old woman at a dose that could cause her to faint or fall. An 84-year-old woman hospitalized for knee surgery was taking several drugs that were not meant for older patients because of their severe potential side effects.
And then there was 74-year-old Lola Cal. She had a long history of health problems, including high blood pressure and respiratory disease. She was in the hospital with pneumonia and had difficulty breathing. Her medical records showed she was on 36 medications.
"This is actually a little bit alarming," said Bailey, a pharmacist.
He was concerned about the sheer number of drugs but even more worried that several of them — including ones to treat insomnia and pain — could suppress Cal's breathing.
An increasing number of elderly patients nationwide are on multiple medications to treat chronic diseases, raising their chances of dangerous drug interactions and serious side effects. Often the drugs are prescribed by different specialists who don't communicate with each other. If those patients are hospitalized, doctors making the rounds add to the list — and some of the drugs they prescribe may be unnecessary or unsuitable.
Comment: Dr. Gary Null - Medicine that kills: The American medicine system is the leading cause of death and injury in the U.S., killing more people unnecessarily than any other national medical system in the industrialized world, despite spending more on healthcare than any other country. The system is completely broken as a result of corruption, greed, malfeasance and self-serving interests which supports pharmaceutical profiteering over the health and safety of citizens. Those who are most vulnerable, and those without adequate knowledge to protect themselves from the depredations of the medical cartel are particularly at risk.