According to Talbot Partnership for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention, elderly patients, who tend to take many medications prescribed by more than one doctor, are increasingly at risk for prescription drug abuse.
According to an examination of Medicare data by USA Today, the newspaper estimates that one in five of the nation’s 43 million senior citizens receive Medicare prescriptions for opioid painkillers, many of them for long periods. The number of patients 65 and older who received Medicare prescriptions for opioids increased more than 30 percent between 2007 and 2012, the newspaper found. An estimated 8.5 million elderly patients received opioid prescriptions in 2012. Use of some of the most commonly abused opioids, including oxycodone and hydrocodone, increased more than 50 percent. The amount of each opioid given to patients increased an average of 15 percent, to about three months worth of medication.
The number of senior citizens addicted to painkillers and anxiety medications in 2012 reached 336,000, nearly triple to the 132,000 of them a decade ago, according to a separate study on the impact of prescription drug problem among older Americans conducted by USA Today.
About one-third of Medicare patients get prescriptions for powerful narcotic painkillers from multiple doctors, which raises their risk for hospitalization. People 55 and older were found to build tolerance from the drugs and get addicted to them leading to rising overdose deaths, emergency room visits and admissions to addiction treatment programs. According to Michael Von Korff of the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, elderly patients who take opioids or anti-anxiety medications are at increased risk of injuries from falls, cognitive problems and impaired breathing. He noted the risks are increased when the drugs are used in combination. “Misuse and abuse of these medicines is not uncommon among the elderly. They do get into trouble with these drugs,” he said.
According to Talbot Partnership, we often assume that prescription drug problems are only an issue with our youth. Alcohol and prescription drug problems among adults 60 and older, however, is one of the fastest growing health problems facing the country. Yet, the situation remains underestimated, underidentified, underdiagnosed, and undertreated.
The main sign that a person may be addicted to a medication is if he or she is constantly thinking about it and fears not being able to function without it. Another warning sign is when a person starts taking medication at different times and in different doses from what their physician has prescribed.
If you are concerned about your own use of alcohol or drugs, or that of a family member or friend, contact you physician or the Talbot County Health Department. For additional information on the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, contact Talbot Partnership at 410-819-8067. Please also visit our website at www.talbotpartnership.org or find us on Facebook.
..
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.