Because little is known about the correct dosage for older patients and how different drugs react to each other, The Guardian reports the elderly are often “poisoned” with excess medication or combined drug reactions — called drug-drug reactions. Drug
dosage is tested in younger populations who do not have multiple
diseases. Tests are not done on those over 60, according to the report,
even though liver and kidney function declines as a person ages and
senior citizens tend to have more adverse drug reactions than younger
people.
More
than half of American adults are regularly taking prescription
medications and those numbers continue to climb. About a quarter of the
population ages 65 to 69 are taking at least five prescription
medications each day to treat chronic health conditions and that
increases to nearly half of Americans ages 70 to 79.
While every age group is at risk for being prescribed medications they do not need, the elderly are at particular risk.
In addition, they are often prescribed narcotic painkillers,
significantly increasing their chance of falling, which could lead to
further disability or death.
One
group of individuals who are at high risk of receiving prescription
medications for diseases or illnesses they do not actually have are
nursing home residents who suffer from dementia.
Adverse
drug effects occur in at least 15% of seniors, and in nearly half of
those cases the problem may have been prevented with greater
communication between physicians and pharmacies treating the same
patient.
Adding to the problem is the fact that there’s been a major rise in the number of antidepressants being prescribed for older adults over the last two decades, without proof that there is any increase in the number depressed.
Even
though the number of depressed older adults living in care homes was
unchanged, the use of antidepressants rose from 7.4% to 29.2%! Most of
those prescribed antidepressants had not been diagnosed with depression.
Antidepressants
are often ineffective for treating depression and pose risks to the
elderly, including increasing the risk of falls, osteoporosis and
fractures. Those types of injuries are usually treated with pain
medication and that may lead to an entirely new problem.
An estimated 202,600 Americans died from opioid overdoses
between 2002 and 2015 and 74% of farmers report being addicted to
opioids, or know someone who is. Opioids are commonly prescribed for
pain.
The
massive increase in opioid sales and subsequent addiction rates came
about after a premeditated marketing plan misinformed doctors about the
drug’s addictive potential.
The
same company that manufactured the addictive pain killers also came up
with the medication to treat the addiction, all the while increasing
their profits while thousands died. More than 70,200 Americans of all
ages died from drug overdoses in 2017, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
If you
or a loved one are elderly, don’t hesitate to speak to your doctor about
any changes to your lifestyle choices that may reduce your need for
medication and improve your health. Reasearch alternative pain
treatments that don't require medication and stick to a diet filled with
organically grown, nongenetically modified whole foods.
Because little is known about the correct dosage for older patients and how different drugs react to each other, The Guardian reports the elderly are often “poisoned” with excess medication or combined drug reactions — called drug-drug reactions. Drug
dosage is tested in younger populations who do not have multiple
diseases. Tests are not done on those over 60, according to the report,
even though liver and kidney function declines as a person ages and
senior citizens tend to have more adverse drug reactions than younger
people.
More
than half of American adults are regularly taking prescription
medications and those numbers continue to climb. About a quarter of the
population ages 65 to 69 are taking at least five prescription
medications each day to treat chronic health conditions and that
increases to nearly half of Americans ages 70 to 79.
While every age group is at risk for being prescribed medications they do not need, the elderly are at particular risk.
In addition, they are often prescribed narcotic painkillers,
significantly increasing their chance of falling, which could lead to
further disability or death. One
group of individuals who are at high risk of receiving prescription
medications for diseases or illnesses they do not actually have are
nursing home residents who suffer from dementia.
Adverse
drug effects occur in at least 15% of seniors, and in nearly half of
those cases the problem may have been prevented with greater
communication between physicians and pharmacies treating the same
patient.
Adding to the problem is the fact that there’s been a major rise in the number of antidepressants being prescribed for older adults over the last two decades, without proof that there is any increase in the number depressed.
Even
though the number of depressed older adults living in care homes was
unchanged, the use of antidepressants rose from 7.4% to 29.2%! Most of
those prescribed antidepressants had not been diagnosed with depression.
Antidepressants
are often ineffective for treating depression and pose risks to the
elderly, including increasing the risk of falls, osteoporosis and
fractures. Those types of injuries are usually treated with pain
medication and that may lead to an entirely new problem.
An estimated 202,600 Americans died from opioid overdoses
between 2002 and 2015 and 74% of farmers report being addicted to
opioids, or know someone who is. Opioids are commonly prescribed for
pain.
The
massive increase in opioid sales and subsequent addiction rates came
about after a premeditated marketing plan misinformed doctors about the
drug’s addictive potential. The
same company that manufactured the addictive pain killers also came up
with the medication to treat the addiction, all the while increasing
their profits while thousands died. More than 70,200 Americans of all
ages died from drug overdoses in 2017, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
If you
or a loved one are elderly, don’t hesitate to speak to your doctor about
any changes to your lifestyle choices that may reduce your need for
medication and improve your health. Reasearch alternative pain
treatments that don't require medication and stick to a diet filled with
organically grown, nongenetically modified whole foods.
A study out of the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom
found there is a link between dementia and certain classes of
anticholinergic drugs.
The drugs — particularly antidepressants,
bladder antimuscarinics, antipsychotics and antiepileptic drugs —
resulted in nearly "50% increased odds of dementia," according to the
observational study published Monday in the peer-reviewed JAMA Internal Medicine journal.
Anticholinergic drugs help contract and relax muscles, according to Mayo Clinic. They
can also be used to treat ulcers and prevent nausea. This is done by
blocking a neurotransmitter in the brain, acetylcholine, from entering
the nervous system.
Doctors prescribe these kinds of drugs to
treat a variety of conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease, bladder conditions, allergies, gastrointestinal disorders and
symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
The risk is only associated with
1,095 daily doses within a 10-year period, which is equivalent to an
older adult taking a strong anticholinergic medication daily for at
least three years.
"The study is important because it strengthens a growing body of
evidence showing that strong anticholinergic drugs have long term
associations with dementia risk," said study author Carol Coupland,
professor of medical statistics in primary care at the University of
Nottingham.
"It also highlights which types of anticholinergic
drugs have the strongest associations. This is important information for
physicians to know when considering whether to prescribe these drugs,"
she told CNN. "This is an observational study so no firm conclusions can be drawn about whether these anticholinergic drugs cause dementia."
The study warns people against stopping any of the medications listed without consulting their doctors.
The researchers found no significant increases in dementia risk
associated with antihistamines, skeletal muscle relaxants,
gastrointestinal antispasmodics, antiarrhythmics, or antimuscarinic
bronchodilators, but associations were found among other classes of
anticholinergic drugs.
An estimated 47 million people worldwide
were living with dementia in 2015, while in the United States around 5.7
million people have Alzheimer dementia, according to the study.
Anticholergenic
drugs include, but are not limited to, Artane, Bentyl, Oxytrol, Neosol,
Symax and Vesicare. A full list can be found at Mayo Clinic.
The authors of a study published in Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders
found that elderly individuals using antidepressants were at
significantly higher risk for dementia when compared with both depressed
and not depressed nonusers. The study, which is one of the few
long-term studies focusing on associations between antidepressants and
dementia, followed a large group of participants for up to 18 years.
Antidepressants, including selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors
(SSRI), are commonly prescribed drugs in the U.S. Despite studies that
have suggested these could have neuroprotective effects and that they can improve cognitive function
in patients with Alzheimer’s dementia, these results are not
consistent. Studies conducted with different populations have also found
conflicting results with some finding that older antidepressants were
associated with a reduced rate of dementia and others have found antidepressant use associated with cognitive impairment. Further, as the authors, led by Dr. Chenkun Wang, point out, elderly individuals are often underrepresented in clinical trials,
therefore little is known about this antidepressant use in this
population, particularly those with unimpaired cognitive functioning.
Over a span of two years (i.e. 1991-1993) 3,688 patients from a
private care practice were enrolled in the study and included in the
analysis – all of whom were 60 years of age or older. The researchers
used medical history information from inpatient, outpatient, and
emergency room records. Among the data retrieved were diagnoses of
depression and dementia. Data regarding their antidepressant medication
prescription and dispersal was also retrieved from their electronic
medical record. Patients were divided into 5 groups:
Participants diagnosed with depression but not prescribed antidepressants (nonusers with depression)
Participants diagnosed who were not diagnosed with depression nor received antidepressants (nonusers without depression)
Results revealed that participants who were on SSRIs or non-SSRI
antidepressants had a higher risk of dementia than the individuals
diagnosed with depression who were not prescribed antidepressants. In
addition, those who were on either type of antidepressant were at a
higher risk of dementia than nonusers without depression.
Despite the limitations of the study, which include prescribing bias
(e.g. doctors prescribing SSRIs to adults with cognitive impairments)
and lack of depression and dementia severity measures, this is not the
only study to yield these associations. A recent article on Medscape
reporting on SSRIs and sleep disruption found that these
antidepressants could cause significant sleep problems in the elderly,
which could contribute to neurodegeneration leading to dementia. The
authors of the study, which was presented at the Institute of
Psychiatric Services: The Mental Health Services 2016 Conference, warn
against ignoring sleep issues and side-effects of SSRIs and reiterate
the importance of psychotherapy and holistic alternatives for elderly
populations.
“The FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) tests all new psychiatric drugs”
False. Actually
the FDA only reviews studies that were designed, administered, secretly
performed and paid for by the multinational profit-driven drug
companies. The studies are frequently farmed out by the pharmaceutical
companies by well-paid research firms, in whose interest it is to find
positive results for their corporate employers. Unsurprisingly, such
research policies virtually guarantee fraudulent results. Myth # 2:
“FDA approval means that a psychotropic drug is effective long-term”
False. Actually,
FDA approval doesn’t even mean that psychiatric drugs have been proven
to be safe – either short-term or long-term! The notion that FDA
approval means that a psych drug has been proven to be effective is also
a false one, for most such drugs are never tested – prior to marketing –
for longer than a few months (and most psych patients take their drugs
for years). The pharmaceutical industry pays many psychiatric
“researchers” – often academic psychiatrists (with east access to
compliant, chronic, already drugged-up patients) who have financial or
professional conflicts of interest – some of them even sitting on FDA
advisory committees who attempt to “fast track” psych drugs through the
approval process. For each new drug application, the FDA only receives 1
or 2 of the “best” studies (out of many) that purport to show
short-term effectiveness. The negative studies are shelved and not
revealed to the FDA. In the case of the SSRI drugs, animal lab studies
typically lasted only hours, days or weeks and the human clinical
studies only lasted, on average, 4- 6 weeks, far too short to draw any
valid conclusions about long-term effectiveness or safety!
Hence the FDA, prescribing physicians and patient-victims should not
have been “surprised” by the resulting epidemic of SSRI drug-induced
adverse reactions that are silently plaguing the nation. Indeed, many
SSRI trials have shown that those drugs are barely more effective than
placebo (albeit statistically significant!) with unaffordable economic
costs and serious health risks, some of which are life-threatening and
known to be capable of causing brain damage. Myth # 3:
“FDA approval means that a psychotropic drug is safe long-term”
False.Actually,
the SSRIs and the “anti-psychotic” drugs are usually tested in human
trials for only a couple of months before being granted marketing
approval by the FDA. And the drug companies are only required to report 1
or 2 studies (even if many other studies on the same drug showed
negative, even disastrous, results). Drug companies obviously prefer
that the black box and fine print warnings associated with their drugs
are ignored by both consumers and prescribers. One only has to note how
small the print is on the commercials.
In our fast-paced shop-until-you-drop consumer society, we super-busy
prescribing physicians and physician assistants have never been fully
aware of the multitude of dangerous, potentially fatal adverse psych
drug effects that include addiction, mania, psychosis, suicidality,
worsening depression, worsening anxiety, insomnia, akathisia, brain
damage, dementia, homicidality, violence, etc, etc.
But when was the last time anybody heard the FDA or Big Pharma
apologize for the damage they did in the past? And when was the last
time there were significant punishments (other than writs slaps and
“chump change” multimillion dollar fines) or prison time for the CEOs of
the guilty multibillion dollar drug companies? (Continue Reading)
