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Every fourth person in Germany takes several pills a day
Above all, many seniors depend on the daily intake of medication. The effects of side effects are often bad enough anyway. But even greater is the risk if the risk of interactions is increased by taking several pills at the same time. Experts call for more security.
Health risks by taking multiple medications at the same time
Painkillers, cholesterol or hypotensives, blood thinners: Many seniors often swallow several pills at the same time. And many younger people take more than two different medications daily. For years, professionals have pointed out the health risks of polymedication: if several medicines are taken at the same time, the risk of switching and side effects increases significantly. Even pharmacists now warn of the possible health consequences and suggest a solution.
Image: Gina Sanders - fotolia Every second over 70 year old swallows three or more pills
According to a report by the news agency dpa, around one in four (23 percent) said they regularly take three or more medications in a survey among around 13,000 adult German citizens. And in the group of seniors from 70 years, it is even every second. The representative Forsa survey was commissioned by the Federal Association of German Pharmacist Associations (ABDA). The president of the ABDA, Friedemann Schmidt, presented the results in the run-up to the German Pharmacists' Day, which will start on Thursday in Dusseldorf.
Avoidable and harmful cases
Of the patients who take three or more remedies at the same time, about half (54 percent) are being treated by more than one doctor. Around one in three patients (29 percent) with three or more medicines uses both prescribed and over-the-counter medications. Although this so-called polymedia, according to Schmidt for many patients - especially in the elderly - due to several diseases required, but there are often preventable and harmful cases.
More deaths from side effects than in traffic
According to ABDA, there is no common definition for polymedication. Normally one starts from three or more medications or from five or more, which are swallowed simultaneously and permanently. Nine percent of respondents in the Forsa survey said they were taking five or more medicines. In Germany, more people die as a result of the side effects of medication than in traffic. The ABDA had pointed this out at the beginning of the year and in this context called for better protection of patients from medication errors. Last year, there were about 3,400 deaths in this country.
Medication plan to reduce risks
It is said that a frequent reason is not only that several physicians prescribe at the same time, but that drugs are often taken even if the therapy has already proved unsuccessful. Or also that the patient continues to swallow funds even though the therapy goal has already been reached. Schmidt called for a medication plan for each patient to reduce the risks. In this, the entire list of medicines - constantly updated and coordinated by doctors and pharmacies - must be included. However, there is currently too little coordination: "Nine out of ten medication lists that are issued by the doctor alone do not match what the patients are actually taking," says Schmidt. (Ad)