Due 10.28.22

Polypharmacy is when an individual takes more than one prescription for the same condition or disease. Causing the body to become confused and unable to process all the drugs properly. This condition occurs in people of all ages and sex, but it affects the older adult population. Polypharmacy is hard on both the liver and the kidney because these two organs of the body process 99% of the drugs in the body. The malfunction of any of these two organs can lead to different illnesses, such as heart disease, diabetes, and many others, and it may cause a risk of falls or an overdose in the elderly. Falling can lead to hospitalization and serious injuries or death. These older adults must be able to manage their medications as well as possible (Salehi sahlabadi et al., 2020).

Polypharmacy can cause an increase in both the number of side effects and occurrences with each dose. A typical example is when a person takes two different blood pressure medications for the same product. The person will experience an adverse reaction, causing them to be confused and unstable in their gait and leading to dangerous amounts of blood pressure released into the body if not monitored closely enough by medical professionals, which might lead to death. In addition to side effects caused by taking too many medications for the same illness, other consequences may occur due to this behavior among older adults. These include decreased quality of life, causing stress on the body and nervous system (Swinglehurst et al., 2022).

References

LAI, S., SU, L., LIN, C., TSAI, C., SUNG, F., & HSIEH, D. P. (2020). Polypharmacy increases the risk of Parkinson's disease in older people in Taiwan: A population-based study.  Psychogeriatrics,  11(3), 150-156.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1479-8301.2011.00369.x

Salehi sahlabadi, A., Riazat, A., Sury, S., Saffarinia, N., Damerchi, Z., & Pouyakian, M. (2020). A review is investigating the causes of nursing errors and their reduction countermeasures in recent studies. Journal of Ergonomics,  8(1), 74-88.  https://doi.org/10.30699/jergon.8.1.74

Swinglehurst, D., Hogger, L., & Fudge, N. (2022). Negotiating the polypharmacy paradox: A video-reflexive ethnography study of polypharmacy and its practices in primary care.  BMJ Quality & Safety, bmjqs-2022-014963.  https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2022-014963