Every day, 750 older Americans end up in the hospital because of serious side effects from one or more medications, according to the Lown Institute, a health care think tank.
And the chance you will experience a serious side effect from a prescribed medication goes up around 10% with each additional medication you take.
Many people take multiple meds. A research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine says that around 43% of people ages 65 and older are taking five or more prescription drugs, and about as many take 10 or more.
Because of the potential for multiple drug interactions, the National Institute of Aging has funded the U.S. Deprescribing Research Network to see how to appropriately reduce the number of drugs prescribed to patients.
Of course, not taking prescribed medications has serious risks too. That's why it's important that you and your doctor review your medications regularly to see what's necessary — and check that you are taking the meds as you should.
You can also check to see if there are any you can stop taking and what combinations may be risky.
In addition, discuss how over-the-counter meds and supplements you're taking may interact with prescription drugs.
And last but absolutely not least, explore what you can do beyond taking medications to optimize your health.