Doctors Should Keep An Eye On Your Mix Of Medication. If They Don’t, You Should.

TL;DR

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Paula Span discussed medication reviews for older adults during a Sept. 30 WAMU Health Hub appearance, highlighting how prescriptions can accumulate and interact over time. Clinicians and pharmacists recommend asking a doctor whether each medicine remains appropriate; patients should not stop or change medicines without medical guidance.

Paula Span, a journalist who writes about aging for The New York Times and KFF Health News, urged older adults and caregivers to ask clinicians to review their medication lists during a Sept. 30 WAMU Health Hub appearance. The discussion focused on how prescriptions can accumulate over time, including medicines a patient may no longer need, and the potential for combinations to cause side effects.

Span discussed commonly used medicines, including aspirin and benzodiazepines, that some older patients may be overusing, according to KFF Health News. The report advises patients and caregivers to check with a doctor to determine whether each medicine remains appropriate. It does not identify a single medication combination or provide a case count tied to the discussion.

Physician K. Eric De Jonge, director of geriatrics at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, said the likelihood of a side effect or intolerance rises among people taking many prescriptions. He said that once a person takes six or seven prescription medicines, there is a “nearly 100% chance” of some side effect or intolerance. The report does not provide the study or data behind that estimate, so it should be understood as De Jonge’s attributed statement.

Span said prescribing decisions reflect the evidence available at the time, while research continues to develop. She also pointed to routine as a reason patients may not reconsider long-standing prescriptions. The report’s practical recommendation is to raise the question with a clinician, rather than assume a medicine is still needed or make a change without professional input.

Why Medication Reviews Matter

A medication review gives a clinician an opportunity to consider the full list of drugs a patient takes, including prescriptions that may have been started by different providers or continued for years. That matters because medicines can interact, and a treatment that was reasonable when prescribed may warrant reassessment as a person’s health, other medications, or medical evidence changes.

For older adults managing several prescriptions, caregivers can help by keeping an up-to-date list and asking whether each medicine remains necessary and appropriate. The report does not say that any specific drug should be stopped. Changes require discussion with the prescribing clinician, who can weigh a medicine’s benefits and risks for that patient.

How Prescriptions Accumulate

The KFF Health News report describes a familiar pattern: prescriptions build up over time, while some medicines may continue after the original reason for taking them has changed. Span’s discussion included aspirin and benzodiazepines as examples of medicines some older patients may overuse; it did not give specific dosing guidance or say that these drugs are unsuitable for every older adult.

Span’s point about changing evidence is that medical knowledge does not stand still after a prescription is written. A patient may also continue a medicine out of habit without asking whether it still serves a purpose. The report recommends a check-in with a doctor and frames patients and caregivers as active participants in that conversation.

““Once you get to six or seven prescription medications, you get a nearly 100% chance of some sort of side effect or intolerance.””

— K. Eric De Jonge, director of geriatrics at MedStar Washington Hospital Center

What the Report Does Not Specify

The source does not state the year of Span’s Sept. 30 appearance, identify a particular patient or medication combination, or provide study details supporting De Jonge’s estimate. It also does not quantify how often medication reviews change treatment or report a new policy or clinical guideline. Whether a medicine should be continued depends on the individual patient and requires clinical review.

Bring the Full List to a Clinician

Patients and caregivers can ask a doctor or pharmacist to review all current medicines, including prescriptions that may have been continued for a long time. They can ask what each medicine is for, whether it remains appropriate, and whether the overall combination needs attention. The report describes no scheduled follow-up or formal next milestone; its recommendation is to make medication review an ongoing part of care.

Key Questions

What did Paula Span recommend?

Span urged patients and caregivers to be proactive and ask a clinician whether current medicines are still appropriate, particularly as prescriptions accumulate and medical evidence changes.

Did the report say older adults should stop taking aspirin or benzodiazepines?

No. It mentioned these medicines as examples Span discussed in connection with overuse among some older patients. It did not advise everyone to stop them. Patients should consult a clinician before changing a medicine.

What did the report say about taking six or seven prescriptions?

Geriatrician K. Eric De Jonge said people taking six or seven prescription medicines have a “nearly 100% chance” of some side effect or intolerance. The report did not provide the data behind that estimate.

Who can help review a medication list?

A doctor or pharmacist can discuss a patient’s medicines and whether they remain appropriate. Patients and caregivers can bring a current list and ask about the purpose and continued use of each medicine.

Source: rss