Polypharmacy...Oh MY!! :shock:

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:41 am

Retail Prescription Drugs Filled at Pharmacies (Annual per Capita by Age), 2009

US:
ages 0-18 3.9
ages 19-64 11.3
65+ 31.2

http://www.statehealthfacts.org/compare ... =268&cat=5

And I thought my taking one thyroid medication and two blood pressure meds was a lot.

Post by **tex** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:07 am

Yep, the pharmaceutical industry has the concept of "repeat business" down pat. They're probably a perfect example of an ideal business model, (ideal as far as business success is concerned, anyway). They begin cultivating our business the day we are born, and they never let up until we're gone.

Thanks for posting that.

Tex

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:21 am

Holy cow, that is a LOT!!!

I don't know which column is scariest, to tell you the truth.

My husband just read an article in the NYReview of Books (within the last few weeks) about psych drugs and the unprecedented rise in psychiatric problems (chicken/egg?). I had to ask him to stop reading quotes aloud. Some of the books the review was citing are pretty 'out there' as far as mainstream thinking goes, but by no means all of them.

(I'm still living the Rx-free lifestyle, but my clock may (just possibly) be ticking on that, stubborn as I am.)

Love,
Sara

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:23 am

Does this mean 'prescriptions filled' or number of different drugs?

I think it might mean number of different medications, in which case I greatly underreacted.

Ai ai ai!!!!

Love,
Sara

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 1:07 pm

Number of different medications. Feel free to react--not much could be over-reacting to these statistics.

I have a hard time giving my kids ibuprofen, er, acetaminophen

when they are in pain. They have all dealt with asthma from time to time, so a rescue inhaler is always around, but my 16yo hasn't had an antibiotic since she was little, and I don't think my 13yo has ever had an antibiotic. I can't imagine giving my kids regular prescription meds. Thankfully, they are healthy, so I have absolutely no judgment towards those parents with chronically sick kiddos. But I doubt there are enough of them to skew the results for that kind of average.

Post by **tex** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 3:42 pm

Notes: Data shown here are for calendar year 2009 and include the number of prescription drugs filled at retail pharmacies only.

This has to refer to the number of prescriptions filled, (not drugs available), because we have the same drugs available to us under the age of 65, as we do when we're over the age of 65, but look at the jump in the number of prescriptions filled for the upper category. Are us old codgers really that sick, or are we just more gullible than younger folks.

According to the Texas statistics, I'd better go see my doctor ASAP, because I'm waaaaaaaaaaay short of what I should be using. (And here I thought that I was taking too many drugs

). Apparently, I'm still living in the past. I guess I never completely grew up.

Tex

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 4:27 pm

Tex,

I thought the number might take refills into account. Hahahaha. Multiply those numbers by (somewhat less than) 12 for refills (assuming some one-time use drugs such as anti-biotics, and some short-term Rxs).

I think the mounting Rx toll is similar to mounting gluten damage. As you accumulate side effects, doctors prescribe more drugs for the side effects. I see this with people a decade younger than me, and by the time they reach the upper bracket in that chart, WOW.

Post by **tex** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:42 pm

Sara,

Apparently It does include refills.

Definitions: Prescription Drugs or Rx Drugs: All products filled by retail pharmacies, including new prescriptions and refills of both brand name and generic drugs.

Well, that's a relief - looks like I'm doin' my part after all, 'cause I get at least 5 refilled every month, and one or two more refilled every 3 months.

Love,
Tex

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:56 pm

Data exclude 9,920,953 prescriptions filled by those whose age was unknown.

So it looks like it was under-reported to a certain unavoidable extent.

By the way~ when I went to see my GP last Thursday, because I was there for a physical they asked me my race and whether I was a white Caucasian, hispanic Caucasian, etc. I told the girl that since there was not a "prefers not to answer" box (meaning she would have to guess if I did not choose to answer) that I thought it was illegal. She got a deer-in-the-headlights look and said that she was required to ask. Poor girl. She's lucky I was in a good mood.

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:00 pm

The last arithmetic skill I had has definitely left the building now. I was holding on by my fingernails through the "refills" info... then I saw 9,920,953 and just folded like a cheap camera. This doesn't even touch the people who have saved up their Vicodin from some injury against the time they're in agony and can't see their doc for days or weeks. When I broke my wrist a few years ago, friends were supposed to come for dinner. We called from the ER when we got there at 5pm to let 'em know their roast chicken was at risk of not happening.

When we realized I was going to be in and out of there*, we called again and said - yay, let's roast a chicken! This upstanding and not-especially Rx-happy couple showed up with Vicodin in 3 different strengths - for mom's knee injury, dad's I-forget-what, and teen's car accident. I bet that's not a rare occurrence. (It is in my house, since we *have* no Rx medications on hand.... yet.) Who knows who's actually taking what medication?

And I'm not even talking about abuse. Years ago when I worked for a doctor, he knew that an elderly patient's daughter was using her mother to get pain medication. And he knew her mother genuinely had pain. What a dilemma.

GREAT NEWS (just so I can stop ranting and be positive) - a friend's going to order Enterolab testing for all three kids. And MORE GREAT NEWS - a friend about to undergo surgery for diverticulitis is going to back waaay off on the gluten (probably do a GF experiment around the surgery time). He recently saw an acquaintance (early 20s) go from healthy to bloated and miserable over a pretty short period, and said - she needs to figure out her dietary problem. (Three guesses what her dietary problem turned out to be.)

I know I'm wandering off topic, and I do feel better that it includes refills. Tex, I bet a lot of people are doing 3-month refills. Someone told me the co-pay is sometimes the same, or less for 3-month refills than 3x the one month amount (think the pharma guys were happy about that?).

Marliss - I always yearn to get away with 'other' - but that just opens up a whole 'nother problem for poor deer-in-headlights-gal.

Love,
Sara

*Best ER ever - at a not-great hospital, go figure.

Post by **tex** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:28 pm

Sara,

I believe you're right about the copays. For some reason or other, I was thinking that the reason my doc prescribes 30-day refills on some of those drugs, is because my insurance company requires that arrangement on certain meds. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but obviously the smaller refill arrangement would be to their advantage, not mine.

Love,
Tex

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:47 pm

It is likely your insurance company. I went to Costco for a refill of my diuretic and discovered that when insurance paid for 30 days that it was less than $2, but if I wanted to pay for 90 days myself that it was about $8. Granted, Costco is about six minutes away from me, but I shelled out the extra couple of bucks so that I wouldn't have to trek back in there every 30 days.

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:00 am

I wonder the increase in diabetes has had an impact in the large number of prescriptions. DH takes 4 different prescriptions just for his diabetes. Of course, diabetes is suspected to have a connection to gluten intake.

We've been keeping a food diary for him the last couple of months in an effort to reduce his medication. He writes down what he eats and I calculate the calories and carbs. It's been a big change for him - he's never even dieted before. The next step is to convince him to do a GF trial. Slow, but steady progress.

Gloria

ant · Post by **ant** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:36 am

he's never even dieted before. The next step is to convince him to do a GF trial. Slow, but steady progress.

In a perfect world (I know, dream on....) insurance premiums/contributions (private/government) should be reduced for people smart enough to go GF, DF etc....

Best, ant

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:38 am

Good for you, Gloria, and your husband! My husband is very strong physically, so basically the things that concern me about his health he dismisses because even though he has felt a slight decrease in his physical strength (he's 55), it doesn't concern him. The only thing that concerns him is how old he looks, and he does look about 10 years older than he is, frankly. I've been mistaken for his daughter, which annoys him.

I hope that you and your husband are able to significantly improve his health through your efforts!!