A movement to reduce the number or dosage of medications prescribed to older adults appears to have gained traction in the older population, according to new data from the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging.
Fully 80% of adults aged 50 to 80 years said they would be willing to stop one or more of their long-term prescription medicines if their clinician approved the action. In addition, 26% said that they had already done so within the past two years, investigators reported.
In addition, 82% of people in that age group take at least one prescription medicine regularly. Among those patients, 28% said their medication list was too long. More than half of poll respondents reported taking three or more prescription medications.
Clear and consistent communication is necessary to decrease or stop a medication, as a patient’s health status may be in flux, researcher Sarah Vordenberg, PharmD, MPH, and colleagues said. A temporary health condition may resolve, for example, or a medication may clash with another, or the overall benefits-to-risk ratio may change.
“Deprescribing, which can include prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, and dietary supplements, should be based on dialogue between patients and providers, and sometimes family members,” Vordenberg added.
At the same time, a patient may discontinue a drug without input from their doctor. “This drives home the importance of comprehensive medication reviews, which can often be billed to insurance by clinics and pharmacies as a separate patient encounter,” Vordenberg said.
A summary of the findings was published on the University of Michigan website.
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