The battle, known as polypharmacy, is estimated to cause the death of 100,000 older adults each year.
Polypharmacy may be defined as the number of medications (eg, using a large number of different medications prescribed by different providers), the necessity of the medications that are prescribed, or the complexity of a patient’s problems. Whatever the definition, polypharmacy is an important issue in elderly patients. Sometimes this issue cannot be helped, but many times polypharmacy occurs simply because healthcare providers fail to communicate proper patient recommendations to the patient’s primary care provider.
The average older adult takes five or more prescriptions drugs each day. In addition, many elderly people take various over-the-counter medications, such as antacids, laxatives or painkillers, which are often used without informing their physician. Each drug, while created to treat or correct a specific medical problem, will cause side effects and many times serious, negative and even life-threatening conditions.
Pharmaceutical research brings new drugs to market every year. This science has been instrumental in allowing people to live longer. For elderly adults, however, new drugs are a double-edged sword; on the one hand, they may improve mortality, but on the other hand, they can induce an unwanted reaction. The sheer number of medications used by elderly patients contributes much to the development of ADRs. Click here for a list of drugs and their adverse effects that are commonly used by elderly adults.
Preventing medication problems in elderly people is difficult. Many patients take a large number of drugs over many years. Many physicians are reluctant to stop medications started by a different physician, so the drugs are continued and the list increases.
One tool that has been around for decades is pharmacogenomics. Pharmacogenomics is the study of how genes affect a person’s response to drugs. This field combines pharmacology (the science of drugs) and genomics (the study of genes and their functions) to develop effective, safe medications and doses that will be tailored to a person’s genetic makeup. These genetic differences will be used to predict whether a medication will be effective for a particular person and to help prevent adverse drug reactions. Pesonalized medicine for each individual person.
PGx Medical works with healthcare professionals across the country to educate them on their Metabolic Validation Program via pharmacogenomic testing. This once in a lifetime test will help physicians select medications that are properly metabolized and avoid the “trial and error” process. This saves costs in re-hospitalization, falls, unneccesary medications, and provides the patient with a better quality of life. To live longer…better!
For more information on the PGx Medical Metabolic Validation Program, contact:
PGx Medical
Individualized Care – Personalized Medicine
405-509-5112
info@pgxmed.com
Source: Medscape.com, genetics home reference