Most doctors aren’t aware of these warnings
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65 or over? Watch out for these treatments
As folks age, it becomes more and more common for them to start being prescribed multiple treatments.
Taking handfuls of tablets is often worse for your health than the conditions the tablets are trying to treat.
The technical word for taking multiple treatments is polypharmacy…
And it can lead to falls, nasty interactions, and potential trouble sleeping.
In addition to the dangers of polypharmacy, there are some specific treatments that can be harmful to you as you get older…
Rotten effects can come from lots of Big Pharma treatments…
But there are two classes that can be particularly harmful if you are over the age of 65.
These include psychotropics and anticholinergics.
There are lots of psychotropics that are listed as potentially inappropriate treatments for patients who are older.
Many psychotropics are listed as potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) in the older population. Potentially inappropriate means that prescription of those treatments in older adults may cause significant harm.
In a study with 4760 patients, a third of the patients were receiving PIMs.
Altogether, 1615 cases (33.9%) received at least 1 PRISCUS-PIM per day (regular and as-needed medication included). The most frequently prescribed PRISCUS-PIM (n = 2144) were zopiclone > 3.75 mg/day (n = 310), lorazepam > 2 mg/day (n = 269), haloperidol > 2 mg/day (n = 252), and diazepam (n = 182).
While the prescribing rate for PIMs is high, what they found next was even more important…
In nearly 70% of the cases where these potentially inappropriate treatments were prescribed…
…they could have been replaced with alternatives that have less harmful profiles and would still be effective.
Replacing benzodiazepines and z-substances, haloperidol > 2 mg, tricyclic antidepressants, first generation antihistaminergics, and clonidine by non-PIM could reduce 69.9% of PRISCUS-PIM-prescribing.
Of course, some treatments can be useful — they aren’t all bad.
But you need to be VERY aware of what your doctor is prescribing…
And you need to know that as you get older, some can be super problematic.
Psychotropics are something you need to monitor as you age.
If you are taking psychotropics and are over the age of 65, be sure to check in with your doctor to see if they are still appropriate for you.
Your doctor may be able to get you a similar effect with a less risky treatment
Another problematic type of treatment in populations over the age of 65 are anticholinergics (aCH).
These are more common than you might think and they increase the risk of cognitive decline and Alziehmer’s disease as we age.
aCH increased risk of incident MCI and cognitive decline, and effects were significantly enhanced among individuals with genetic risk factors and CSF-based AD pathophysiologic markers. Findings underscore the adverse impact of aCH medications on cognition and the need for deprescribing trials, particularly among individuals with elevated risk for AD.
Some of the common anticholinergics include Atropen, Enablex, and Toviaz.
Benadryl also has anticholinergic effects.
The big takeaway here is to understand what you are taking, do your own research, and ask questions.
It’s important that you don’t just take it for granted that the treatments you are being prescribed are both safe and effective.
Doctors mean well…
But they aren’t always great at catching treatments that become problematic as patients get older…
And sometimes they just prescribe too much.
If you find yourself in a situation where you are uncomfortable with the treatments that you’re taking…
…then you should talk with your doctor about deprescribing or replacing problematic treatments.
It’s your health and you are the one who has to advocate for yourself.
—-Important Message—-
Are you taking one of these 5 dangerous treatments?
I’ve discovered 5 Big Pharma treatments for men that are actually making men SICKER…
It seems crazy, but not all treatments are safe, despite doctors giving them out.
And it’s not the doctor’s fault… It’s the companies who make these treatments.
Like Bayer and Johnson and Johnson, the makers of Xarelto…
They finally settled for close to $800 million for failing to warn men about deadly bleeding episodes caused by Xarelto:
And believe it or not, there are so many more Big Pharma companies doing the same thing…hiding dangerous side effects…
So do me a favor and check your bottles real quick…
These are the top 5 Big Pharma treatments to avoid (and I’ll give you a better, more natural alternative for each one).
———-
