Prescription medications offer amazing benefits for controlling the symptoms of illness, or even leading to a cure. But they can also put you at risk for more serious illness, or even death.
According to experts, a staggering 1.5 million Americans die each year from medication mistakes, and many of them are senior citizens.
Dr. Patricia Salber, a leading internist and emergency care physician from San Francisco who runs the website TheDoctorWeighsIn.com, tells Newsmax that the numbers may be growing because so many baby boomers are now seniors, and are taking prescription drugs.
And many elderly people cannot tolerate certain medications — even medications the patient has taken before.
“Basically, any drug that needs to be cleared from the kidneys can be problematic for the elderly, who have reduced renal function,” says Salber. “Also, many drugs have anticholinergic effects, which can cause cognitive changes including delirium. They can also cause urinary retention and constipation. I always recommend a trial of nondrug intervention before resorting to prescription medication.”
Here are six most risky classes of drugs for seniors:
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5 comments:
Here we go. Next year these will be ok, and it will be something else. I think some of this crap is to steer you towards competitors of these drugs. I believe the med industry like I believe the media and Congress.
All this stuff is slow poison. The goal of the doctors and pharmacy companies is to get you on lifetime medication to keep their revenue stream coming in.
They always say 'The benefit outweighs the risk.'
But it is ME that is taking the risk, so I will be the one to decide if it's worth it.
Mostly I say 'no.' Too many times there are known risks that haven't been disclosed by the drug maker.
Is that like all the drugs that are being recalled because they are causing CANCER. Now tell me how that outweighs the risk. The Parmaceuticals and government only care about the almighty dollar. They do not care that they are killing people with medicine that should not even be given to people.
Longevity is genetics and lifestyle. You see very few obese octogenarians that led inactive lives. Industrial era exposure diseases that plagued the working class baby boomers and their parents are on the down swing as they are dying off. Modern disease is from processed foods and sedentary lifestyles and thinking taking pills are a cure and not just relieving your symptoms. Retirement has become a full time regime of visiting doctors and taking pills and worrying about all they tell is wrong with you. Who wants to be 80 and live like that ? I'll keep moving and hopefully just drop dead. It's funny sick people must be the only people that watch TV news there are more ads for drugs in that time slot and then in prime time it's fast food commercials. You would think it would be in the reverse order but I guess many don't stay awake into prime time viewing. LOL the fast food commercials should be the ones with the long list of potential side effects one of which should be...may require long term doctors care and prescription drugs.
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