GROWING OLD – DRUGS

March 2009
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Many elderly people are prescribed and take too many drugs. Because older people suffer from degenerative diseases, often of different systems, they are seen and treated by different specialists, who forget to find out what treatment other doctors have given. The result is that many elderly people are walking pharmacies. This can cause symptoms of mental decay, which are thought to be due to old age, not to doctors’ errors. An example was given in the British Medical Journal in July 1977:

Mrs. А.В., aged 68, moved here three weeks ago to live with her daughter. She has been asthmatic for many years and has been receiving prednisone (10 mg. daily) for the past 15 years. She has also had osteoarthritis of her knees and hips for nine years and has been taking ibuprofen (800 mg. thrice daily) for three years. Two months ago she consulted her GP because of a slight tremor of her hands, and because of insomnia. He started her on benzhexol (5 mg. thrice daily) and nitrazepam (10 mg. nightly) and also gave her a supply of pentazocine to take as necessary for her osteoarthrosis. Since then, she has become increasingly incapable of looking after herself; she has become confused, disorientated, and sometimes hallucinated. Her family felt that she could no longer look after herself, and she has come to live with her daughter. We would like advice on two matters; are her drugs responsible for her recent deterioration; can we rationalise her drug treatment?

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