As old age sets in, it’s not unusual for an elderly person to be prescribed a growing number of meds to treat a growing number of afflictions. But this remedy, however well-intentioned, can cause a problem of its own - a growing number of adverse events, serious ones that can even result in poisoning.

A report in The Sydney Morning Herald cites the example of Don Ireland, a chipper 91-year-old (that’s him in the picture). But a few years ago, Ireland was in and out of hospitals due to falls, strokes and suspected heart attacks. He was often asleep, hard to manage when awake, and on the verge of being placed in a nursing home. Then came the diagnosis - too many meds. In fact, Ireland was on 17 drugs, and another eight, as needed. The regimen was cut to three. Now, he’s as vibrant as ever.

Tens of thousands of elderly Australians are at risk of the same fate. They are being poisoned by prescription meds that are supposed to help them. Between 85,000 and 110,000 people over 65 are admitted to hospitals each year because of adverse effects - and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Too many doctors working in isolation from one another are prescribing too many drugs to old people, or the wrong med, say experts contacted by the Herald. And no one is held accountable.

At the heart of the problem is a collision of two forces, says David Le Couteur, professor of geriatric medicine at the University of Sydney, and the director of the Centre for Education and Research on Aging at Concord Hospital. “We have pharmaceutical companies, and doctors with conflicts of interest, who make a huge amount of money from drugs; and people who expect to live for ever and be well for ever - and they feed off each other,” he tells the paper.

“A couple of lectures I give to general practitioners cannot counterbalance the very effective marketing campaigns of the drug companies,” adds Le Couter, who warned doctors a year ago about the dangers he saw with Novartis’ Prexige arthritis drug, which the Australian government ordered off the market last week after two deaths and two liver transplants.

As the population ages, and more powerful drugs come on the market, concern is mounting among health specialists that efforts to reduce the problem of polypharmacy - too many medications - and bad or inappropriate prescribing to the elderly, are being overwhelmed.

“I see a lot of elderly people in the wards on crazy combinations of medications,” says Peter Hunter, the president of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine. “People started on drugs to counteract the effects of another drug; illogical combinations of medications. I tell my medical students the three main causes of acute confusion in older people are drugs, drugs and drugs.”

The complete story can be read by clicking on this link.