Drug Abuse And The Aging Brain

“Contratheraputic is when an individual experience unintentional or unanticipated adverse effects while the individual is on a drug regimen that is not closely monitored by a doctor” (Understanding and Managing Polypharmacy in Elderly, 2004). Screening elderly for polypharmacy is crucial because adverse side effects of some medications can imitate other problems such as confusion, incontinence, urinary retention, and falls which may cause a physician to prescribe another medication to help treat those symptoms. The Beers criteria is a list of drugs that may be inappropriate for elderly patients as the risks outweigh the benefits, an example is the use of urinary anticholinergic which could prevent one episode of incontinence every 48 hours but can cause constipation, dry mouth, dry eyes, impaired cognition and increased risk of

The utilization of prescription drugs has increased across all age groups in the US, with 50% of Americans taking at least one prescription drug (Rice & Unruh, 2016). This can be attributed to physician-induced demand, substitution of pharmaceuticals for other medical regimens, commercialization of the products, increase in the aging population and drug insurance coverage, and also the increase in chronic conditions. Lathan discusses the startling fact that the rate increase of prescription drugs purchased was considerably higher in contrast to the US population growth - 71% and 9% respectively (Rice & Unruh, 2016, p. 264).

The use of prescription drugs is another gray area because it might be beneficial for the elders to take the legal drugs for their medical issues. However, they are often not concerned about their ability to become addicted to these drugs. They only focus on the relief that the drugs are offering them.

It can be determined that the elderly seldom get drugs illicitly. As stated earlier, they usually get drugs by seeing multiple doctors. In addition to this, they stockpile prescribed medications over time, or getting medications from family members. This only contributes to the problems of the elderly. Often times, family members are reluctant to address the issues their elderly family member face.

In today's society people are quick to find easy and fast ways to make them feel better or reduce stress leading to long term health problems. Medication is designed to ease someone or somethings pain, but overusing a drug can result in side effects that can force someone to need more drugs to get better. Siri Carpenter believes that the use of multiple and unnecessary medication is escalating and frightening. “The use of multiple, often unnecessary medications — especially among older people — is an entrenched, escalating, frightening, and mostly unexamined problem in modern healthcare care,” (Carpenter 1). People find it easy to take

Prescribed medication is on the rise in the United States. Particularly among the elderly as they are more inclined to be taking medications. According to the textbook, about thirty percent of people who are sixty-five or older take eight or more prescriptions daily. (Snyder, 62) With that comes an increase in medication misuse and abuse. The difference between the two has to do with the intentions or motivations the person has. Medication misuse is an unintentional or willful use of a medication in a way that differs from prescribed dose or intent. (Snyder, 61) The first example found in the textbook includes taking several unused antibiotics for strep throat from last years prescription, thinking the sore throat is strep throat. The second example is a person who takes a double dose of Tylenol, thinking the higher dose will clear the symptoms faster. The last example from the book is failing to take entire course of antibiotics prescribed for them. (Snyder, 61) On the other hand, medication abuse is deliberately taking a drug for non-medical reason. For example, taking a prescription medicine that was prescribed to someone else, taking the medicine in a different form such as snorting it, or taking a certain medicine with the intent to get high. Both medication abuse and misuse in the elderly population is of concern on the grounds that it can bring mental and physical debilitation. Older people misusing or abusing medications puts them at greater danger and may lead to

The very same items a doctor prescribes to help people get well might be making them sick. Prescription drugs are being taken for reasons other than the ones they are being prescribed for, fueling an addiction that impacts as many as 48 million Americans ("Prescription Drug Abuse" WebMD). According to MedLinePlus, "an estimated 20 percent of people in the United States have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons. This is prescription drug abuse." While a considerable amount of time, resources, and attention are focused on the problems associated with illicit drugs, prescription drug abuse is "an increasing problem," with very serious consequences for individuals, families, and communities (MayoClinic Staff). The United States Office of National Drug Control Policy claims, "Prescription drug abuse is the Nation's fastest-growing drug problem, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified prescription drug abuse as an epidemic." Because prescription drugs are viewed as safe due to their being part of the doctor's pharmacopeia, the same psychological, legal, ethical, and social barriers to abuse might not be present. However, prescription drug abuse creates a wide range of problems, including dangerous or lethal side effects, long-term addiction, and the dismantling of family and community

Most people are familiar with prescription medications; almost everyone has taken them at one point or another during their lifetime. Not all prescription drugs are addicting, but a large number of them are. Prescription drug abuse is a disease that has become a major problem in the United States, which affects over six-million Americans. Prescription drug abuse not only affects the individual, but can additionally have far-reaching consequences that affect family, personal health, employment, communities and society as a whole. Research has shown that at least 10% of people prescribed an addictive medication will become dependent on the medicine. Due to prescription drug abuse, states are beginning to monitor doctors who prescribe certain medications, more closely, which may scare some physicians away from prescribing helpful medications to people who truly need them.

Senior citizens are the people who are most likely to take multiple medications due to the occurring chronic conditions as the aging process continues. Given the several medicines they take, they are ironically the age group that is very much sensitive to medication side effects, both therapeutic and negative.

Nearly half of seniors do not take their medications when or how they were prescribed. There are mistakes on dosages, methods of delivery, time of delivery, what they should be taken with, and even if they should still be taken. Compounding the issue, most seniors over the age of 65 are taking between 8 and 13 different medications. Put these numbers together and it is no wonder that problems with medication management are one of the leading reasons seniors end up in the emergency room, and is the number one reason seniors end up back in the hospital after being recently discharged. According to a study published in "Pharmacotherapy", nearly 70 percent of hospitalized seniors suffered from at least one

However, they also increase overall mortality and increase their cognitive impairment. It was seen that those on the medications were more prone to falls, leading to hip fractures. Withdrawal from the medication actually reduced the residents fall risk as well as increased their verbal fluency (Jordan, 2014). So despite all of these warnings and known risks doctors are still determining that the pros outweigh the cons and are prescribing these drugs to dementia patients. It would appear that pharmaceutical companies play are huge role in contributing to this problem. These companies are improperly promoting their drugs to be used for these groups of people (Levinson, 2011). Elderly are already a vulnerable population and these pharmaceutical companies are preying on them simply for financial

dwelling adults 65 and older, 90% use at least one prescription medicine per week, 40% use more than five different prescriptions per week, and 12% use at least 10 different drugs per week (Van Leuven, 2010). Patients taking sedatives, antidepressants, and other medications that cause drowsiness and decreased cognitive function need to be closely monitored by the health care professionals providing care.

The average elderly patient takes approximately four to five prescription medications and two over-the-counter medications. It is also likely that one of their prescribed medications is unnecessary, ineffective, or even potentially dangerous, and the patient suffers an ADE. In a study of more than 150,000 elderly patients, 29% had received at least one of 33 potentially inappropriate drugs. A study of approximately 27,600 Medicare patients documented more than 1,500 ADEs in a single year (Galavis, RN BSN & Wooten, PharmD)

The cost of medical care continues to increase, and for retired individuals on limited budgets the cost of medical care, especially prescription cost, can be staggering. I interviewed my hospital’s case manager, Nelda Peacock, to discuss the issues and concerns with this population, specifically in regards to medication costs. In addition, we explored resources and assistance available to the elderly.

Elderly patients that take several medications compound the risk of developing an adverse drug reaction. Not only does the aging process have an effect on how elderly bodies process medication, but elderly people take more medications than their younger counterparts. According to Conry (2005), the elderly patient takes an average of 5 prescription medications and two non-prescription medications (Conry, 2005). While medications are frequently necessary to enhance the quality of life of the elderly, non-pharmacologic methods should be used whenever possible. Healthcare providers need to understand how aging impacts the body’s response to medications, which drugs pose more risk to