Milestones 12
Managing your medications By Kathleen Harte Simone When taken properly, medications can effectively treat a condition or help cure an illness. But problems can arise when medications are not administered or prescribed properly. And, the more medications you take, the more likely you are to have a side effect or drug interaction. Older adults are more likely than their younger counterparts to take multiple prescription medications, known as polypharmacy. According to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, more than half (54%) of adults 65 and older and more than one-third (32%) of adults 5064 take four or more prescription drugs each month. “Those taking six drugs have a 50% chance of a harmful effect,” said Patrick J. McDonnell, who holds a doctorate in pharmacy and teaches clini-
FEBRUARY 2022
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cal pharmacy at Temple University. The key to managing your medications effectively, according to health care experts, is to clearly communicate with a pharmacist and follow the recommendations accordingly. “Engage with your pharmacist,” McDonnell said. “Of all your health care providers, it’s really the pharmacist who is educated and trained in medication management. Pharmacists are on the same team with your doctors making sure that you receive optimal care.”
What to tell your pharmacist
For starters, tell your pharmacist what other medications you are taking, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, dietary supplements, and herbal medicines. In a recent study conducted by WebMD, 53% of respondents get their
prescription medications from more than one health care provider. This increases the risk of adverse drug effects. So, whether your prescriptions were written by one doctor or several, your pharmacist should be in the loop to assess them all
for potential adverse drug interactions. An example of two prescription medications that are contraindicated are amiodarone (taken for atrial fibrillation) and the blood thinner coumadin (also known as warfarin), because the first