764 - Am I Taking Too Many Medications? Polypharmacy, Interactions, and Drug Cascades

Public Health On Call

About this episode:

One in five U.S. adults is taking five or more prescription drugs at a time, often for years without reassessment of need, dosage, or possible interactions. Today, a look at polypharmacy and why it’s important for physicians to periodically check in with patients about all the prescription—and nonprescription—drugs they’re taking. The guests also discuss the importance of considering non-pharmaceutical treatments like physical or talk therapy, and empowering patients and their care partners to ask questions about what they’re being prescribed.

Guests:

Dr. Cynthia Boyd is a geriatrician and faculty at Johns Hopkins Medicine. She is also a senior associate with the Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health.

Dr. Ariel Green is a geriatrician and faculty at Johns Hopkins Medicine. She is also a core faculty member of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness.

Host:

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, the largest center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Show links and related content:

• Taking Multiple Medications? You May Need to Scale Back.—The New York Times

• Taking more than 5 pills in a day? ‘Deprescribing’ can prevent harm—especially for older people—The Conversation

• Get the transcript for this episode (PDF)

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