Britain’s ‘Overprescribing Epidemic’ Sends 1,000 Elderly People a Day to the Emergency Room

Taking several prescription medicines simultaneously has become increasingly common among older people, many of whom have multiple chronic health conditions. According to a Sunday Times newspaper investigation in the UK, around 1,000 older people are being admitted to accident and emergency departments in England every day because of adverse drug reactions, often associated with taking multiple medicines. Around 2.2 million people in the country are reportedly taking ten or more prescription drugs each day.

The problem is known as polypharmacy, generally referring to the simultaneous use of several medicines. When patients take multiple drugs, the risks can increase as more medicines are added. Side effects may include dizziness, confusion, falls, and other serious problems, while one drug can interact with another in unpredictable ways. Particularly concerning is the possibility that a side effect caused by one medicine may sometimes be mistaken for a new illness, resulting in yet another drug being prescribed.

These findings illustrate a fundamental weakness in a healthcare model that relies heavily on pharmaceutical treatment for chronic diseases. Instead of simply adding another prescription whenever a new symptom develops, doctors should regularly examine whether all of a patient’s medicines remain necessary and whether some can safely be reduced or stopped. At the same time, far greater attention should be paid to nutrition and other natural approaches that address the underlying causes and risk factors for chronic disease. Preventing illness should always take priority over creating ever-expanding lists of prescriptions.

To learn more about the dangers of polypharmacy, and how older people taking multiple pharmaceutical drugs face a significantly greater risk of frailty, disability and death, see this article on our website.