Not only are far too many Americans taking powerful opioids for conditions that do not merit them, but they're mixing medications in potentially fatal ways.
A new study finds that one-sixth of senior citizens in the U.S. have mixed prescription drugs and/or dietary supplements that should never be mixed.
The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association by Dima M. Qat, a professor of pharmacy at the University of Illinois-Chicago, found that the number of seniors engaging in such mixing doubled between 2006 and 2011.
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Other highlights from the study:
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The use of at least one prescription medication went up from from 84.1 percent to 87.7 percent
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The concurrent use of at least five prescription medications increased from 30.6 percent to 35.8 percent
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Use of dietary supplements increased from 51.8 percent to 63.7 percent
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Statin use increased from 33.8 percent to 46.2 percent
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Use of antiplatelets went up from 32.8 percent to 43 percent
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The percentage of seniors taking omega-3 fish oils increased from 4.7 percent to 18.6 percent
The authors suggested that the implementation of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit a decade ago might account for some of the overall increases in drug intake, including inappropriate mixing.
"Many older patients seeking to improve their cardiovascular health are also regularly using interacting drug combinations that may worsen cardiovascular risk," said Qat in a university news release.
Although Qat said the risk of death due to drug interactions was growing, her study did not offer an estimated death toll.
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