Polypharmacy Defined
The battle, known as polypharmacy, is estimated to cause the death of 100,000 older adults each year.
But, as caregiver, you have the unique ability to identify possible polypharmacy in your Mom or Dad and, by taking specific steps, can correct or eliminate the condition.
The average older adult takes five or more prescriptions drugs each day. In addition, many elderly people take various over-the-counter medications, such as antacids, laxatives or painkillers, which are often used without informing their physician. Each drug, while created to treat or correct a specific medical problem, will cause side effects and many times serious, negative and even life-threatening conditions.
Mom takes 5 or 6 different medicines in the morning. For all different things. Remember when I called her the 8 armed monster? She had arms everywhere pinching , hitting and scratching. No more . Now she just yells a lot. So I think her pills are working. She just yells cause I am so hard headed it's the only way to get my attention. LOL! Everything she takes is from Hospice except the vitamin and I told them I give that to her. It is zinc. It helps her skin. So hopefully she does not have Polypharmacy. She used to have little skin tears on her arms from every little bump . But no more . Her reg. Doc. put her on Zinc years ago.It is great for the skin. I took her off the fish pill. I was giving her fish oil pills every morning to help with many things. But I think she is to far along for them to help. But if I had of known earlier I would of started her on the fish oil.
symptoms of Polypharmacy are
•Tiredness, sleepiness or decreased alertness
•Constipation, diarrhea or incontinence
•Loss of appetite; confusion, either continuous or episodic
•Falls
•Depression or general lack of interest
•Weakness
•Tremors
•Hallucinations, such as seeing or hearing things
•Anxiety or excitability
•Dizziness
•Decreased sexual behavior
•Skin rashes
I have heard of cases where people thought they had Alzheimer's or some other illness and the problem was they were on two much medicine of the wrong combination of medicine. Wouldn't be great if that was all that was wrong with our love ones and we fixed it.
