by Eugene Jacquescoley DO PhD

Created on: July 30, 2008   Last Updated: July 31, 2008

Prescription medications play a vital role in patient care, but the improper utilization of prescription drugs can be the cause of a variety of problems.

As baby boomers assume their respective roles in the 21st century, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) indicated that the incidence of adverse events related to drug reactions in older patients is two-three times higher than young adults. It is also important to mention that the slow metabolism rates and blood flow may also attribute to the exacerbation of these types of adverse events in older adults.

Health care professionals must be aware of the components that drive this unique problem in this complex cohort. The marriage of geriatric medicine/gerontology and drug physiology is critical when determining if an adverse event has taken place; and how treat and manage the patient thereafter. Furthermore, due to the complexity of some drug regimens, compliance may also be an area of concern for this cohort. There is also a growing body of evidence that suggests there are gender differences while examining drug misuse in the elderly. According to (Simoni-Wastila, 2003) nearly 7.2 million older patients were medically exposed to prescription drugs with addictive potential. Among the 7.2 million, there is a suspicion that half of this population (which represents women) may require different treatment approaches compared to men. Of course, this frame of dialogue is still in infancy, but warrant attention.

Prescription drug abuse and/ or misuse among the elderly are a unique and dangerous trend that warrants national attention. According to the US Bureau of Census, by 2010, there will be over 39 million Americans above the age of 65. By 2020, it is expected to increase to 53 million Americans (NIDA). Drug misuse may refer to the use of medications that result in social, psychological, and/or physical harm. It encompasses not taking necessary medications to becoming dependent upon psychoactive drugs (Ignatoff, 2005).

There are several types of drug misuse in this cohort. Overdose, underdose, use of prescriptions for other than prescribed, and drug combinations. Moroever, other factors should be considered. Such as difficulty reading, cognitive deficits, costs of medications, and the complexity of drug treatment may lead to the types of drug misuse in the elderly (Patterson, 2003).

A number of quantitative factors should be considered:

1. Estimated numbers of people over 65 y.o. with psychiatric disorders has steadily

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