How many medications do you take? When was the last time someone designated time to review the dose of all your medications and whether there was an ongoing need for the medication?
As you get older, our kidney and liver slow down leading to less effective clearance and breakdown processes of the metabolites and toxic waste products from medications. Drug interactions can also occur when taking multiple medications leading to side effects. Some of these include: muscle wasting, fluid retention and electrolyte imbalance. Dose modifications and yearly reviews can identify these issues and decrease the risk for you.
The PBS statistics indicate that people over the age of 65 years old use 66% of all medications prescribed. This indicates that most of the medications we consume occurs in the latter part of life. One in four people are taking more than five medications, which is a separate risk factor for falls. Adverse drug reactions can occur and account for 30% of hospital admissions with 50% of these being preventable. Don't be a statistic - book your consultation with Age Right today to review your medications.