3 replies to this topic

[Budd]

Heads up, folks. This comes from from the CDC and not the FDA so it is credible. Many of us are or know others that are in this 60+ age group and are on one or more of these 4 drugs as I type this so stay tuned.

Four Common Meds Send Thousands of Seniors to Hospital: CDC - Drugs.com MedNews » An estimated 100,000 older Americans are hospitalized for adverse drug reactions yearly, and most of those emergencies stem from four common medications, a new

study finds.

The four types of medication -- two for diabetes and two blood-thinning agents -- account for two-thirds of those drug-related emergency hospitalizations.

[Budd]

This is more of a watch where you are stepping kind of thing rather than something to worry about. The point is that blindly trusting anyone with one's own life is a risky choice. More and better information allows for better choices.. but some folks really don't want to know. This was for those that do care.

[Al Florida]

Another case of media reports over hyping a report.

What I got out of the article was, be sure you know and understand the meds you are taking, be sure you tell your doctors (that is plural, because most of us older folks see more than one doctor) what you are taking, and be sure you don't take more of a med than you should. Of course as we age we may become forgetful there by forgetting we already took our meds and then take a second dose which may cause a serious problem.

[sandiern]

My experience as an RN when we had people that had taken too much warfarin( blood thinner) was that they were forgetful and took too much or had not followed their doctor's orders about when they should get labs done to monitor their blood clotting levels. Many who took too much insulin or blood sugar oral medicine did not monitor their blood sugars.It is so important for patients to be educated about their medicines/side effects/ and the importance of following up on their labs as directed by their MDs. If a person is too forgetful, they need to have a responsible adult do that monitoring for them. Many adult children are not aware that their elderly parents are having difficulties with their memories and caring for themselves. The educational role of RNs is such an important part of their job and yet it is difficult because all the patient and their families can think about is getting out of the hospital. RNs often worry about the patients absorbing this educational information. I cannot stress how important it is for all of us taking meds to be fully educated about the meds/side effects/lab tests required. While the CDC can publish info, it comes down to personal responsibility for those taking the drugs.