PolyPharmacy... do you know what it is ?
You should... even if it doesn't affect you. Why... because someday it likely will affect you, and/or someone you care about. PolyPharmacy is a relatively new term to describe folks that are taking five or more prescribed medications at the same time. Those of you that take maybe only one, or none, will likely be shocked to know that folks taking five or more medication concurrently are not uncommon of late, and the trend is growing.
Here is an excellent video that explains the issue, and some very effective steps you can take (or recommend those you care about take) to avoid becoming a victim of this issue.
https://youtu.be/8Myc1rCzAXM?si=K1eOCHgZ8Ia4mEiK
The above video explains this really well, and suggests that the reason PolyPharmacy is a growing trend, is the “for-profit” medical and big-pharma industry in this country (and world). But… like the video indicates, patients share some of the responsibility. Many folks think that there is a pill for everything, and many feel the doctor is not doing his/her job if they don’t leave the office with a prescription.
This is a growing concern for older adults. Polypharmacy is more common among older adults, many of whom have multiple chronic conditions (MCC), defined as two or more chronic conditions such as arthritis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease, depression, diabetes, and hypertension. But taking too many drugs can lead to safety concerns… so says an article from the National Institute on Aging.
WHY is this a growing trend (multiple prescriptions) ? In short it’s because of money (as they say, the root of all evil). Pharmaceutical companies (Big-Pharma) make big money on the sale of prescription drugs. In fact they make more profits than most other industries, a study suggests. Have you ever noticed that Big-Pharma seems to make only drugs that you need to take for the rest of your life? You think that’s just a coincidence? There is far less profits in creating a drug the “cures” an illness than there is for a drug that each person will take for the rest of their lives as a “maintenance” drug.
WHY is PolyPharmacy dangerous ? Because there is little or no drug-interaction studies done. Those studies are VERY expensive to do. Take any drug for example and think of all the possible other drugs available for a host of other possible drugs someone could be taking. It would be almost impossible to do a test of one drug against say 500 other drugs to see what, if any, interactions may occur from combining them both. Now take FIVE drugs and calculate the possible interactions against not only those five, but by the 500 other drugs available for doctors to prescribe. I’m no mathematician but I think that around 60,000 different studies. And that’s just for the 500-number I pulled out of the air, not to mention the ongoing development of any new drugs. Any new drugs would require studies against the 500 already in the marketplace. These are just imaginary numbers but you can see the problem of doing meaningful testing of all drugs, against all other drugs (and add in the aspect of dosage)… just mind boggling (and frankly cost prohibitive). That’s why there is little or no testing done for interactions with other drugs. Any interactions currently known are likely the result of very limited testing, but mostly reports from the field, of patients complaining of new symptoms after starting a new drug.
Like the video indicates, when your doctor prescribes a new medication for you, and you come back and say now you’re having another new symptom… many (maybe most) doctors will prescribe another medication to treat those new symptoms, instead of saying wait a minute, maybe we should look are reevaluating the initial drug, or its dosage.
I guess we should talk about the other WHY PolyPharmacy is a growing trend of late. In short it’s because we are simply not eating right. Eat only single-ingredient foods as briefly described in this article. But that’s subject will be delt with in another article… stay tuned.
Folks… follow the 7 recommendations the doctor suggests in the video… it could save your life, or the life of someone you care about. Let me know YOUR thoughts… are you PolyPharmacy ?
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