Taking too many prescribed medications can have serious consequences to your health. It is a well known fact that many individuals are taking more prescribed medications than ever before.
Side effects from taking multiple medications are fairly common and often not considered when a patient complains of various symptoms. It is not unusual for some patients, especially the older person, to be on 5 to 10 medications and even more. The possibility of side effects and drug interactions increases considerably. The term “polypharmacy” is often used to describe taking multiple drugs. Many symptoms may occur in this situation, among them are general weakness, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, nausea and diarrhea.
One of the causes rests in seeing multiple doctors who simply prescribe what concerns their area of expertise whether it be the brain, heart, lung, gastrointestinal tract, urology, or mental issues. Each of these specialists are mainly concerned with their specific knowledge and treatment plan. This is not to condemn them for they are basically thinking in a specific way regarding treatment related to their specialty.
However, there should be at least one physician who is handling the overall care of the patient. This person should be an internist or a general practitioner who should review all the medications the patient is taking and checking to see if there are any serious side effects which the patient is having due to the interaction of the various medications. if side effects are suspected, he should contact the prescribing physician and decide on a possible different medication. Also, your pharmacist can be helpful in pointing out the possible effects of taking your particular medications.