Many older adults want to cut back on taking multiple medications, or polypharmacy, but they need to talk to a clinician or pharmacist first, authors of a new report say.
More than 82% of Americans between the ages of 50 and 80 take one or more prescription medications, and 80% of them want to explore reducing the amount of drugs they’re on if their doctor allowed them to, according to survey results published July 17 by a team from the University of Michigan.
Clinicians and pharmacists need to talk with older adults about their individual needs and see if deprescribing is right for them, the authors said. Data in the study came from the U-M National Poll on Healthy Aging, which showed about 30% of older adults who take medication for cardiovascular disease or diabetes would like to get off those prescriptions the most. Authors said those drugs are for symptomless risk factors such as high blood sugar, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Older adults who are on medications that ease symptoms like arthritis pain, mental health issues and breathing problems weren’t as interested in stopping those medications.
Medication reviews are vital for older adults, according to Sarah Vordenberg, PharmD, the lead author and a clinical associate professor in the U-M College of Pharmacy. The reviews evaluate all the medications and supplements a person takes and aims to find ways to reduce dosages or costs. Medicare does cover this service for those who meet their requirements, but uptake of a medication review is still low, the researchers said.Among respondents, 84% of people taking at least one prescription medication said they had a cardiovascular condition, which included high blood pressure, and 35% of them wanted to see if they could stop taking the medication for it. Of those with diabetes, which made up 29% of respondents, 30% wanted to stop taking the drug. And of 50% of people surveyed who took a prescription for arthritis, just 17% wanted to explore stopping the medication or reducing the dosage.
