Reducing Medications in Older Adults May Be Safe, Study Finds
India News: NEW DELHI: For many elderly people, a typical day begins with a handful of pills - for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol and heart disease. But a .
Too many meds in old age? Cutting back could be safe
NEW DELHI: For many elderly people, a typical day begins with a handful of pills - for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol and heart disease. But a growing body of research suggests that scaling back on medications in old age may not only be safe but could actually improve quality of life. Doctors and geriatric specialists across India are increasingly questioning whether the long list of prescriptions handed to senior citizens is always necessary or beneficial.
The practice of prescribing multiple medications simultaneously, known as polypharmacy, has become a widespread concern among healthcare professionals treating the elderly. Studies have shown that patients over the age of 65 frequently take five or more medications daily, raising the risk of dangerous drug interactions, falls, confusion and kidney damage. Experts say that many of these prescriptions were started years ago under different health circumstances and are simply continued without reassessment, even when the potential harms may outweigh the benefits.
Geriatricians in several leading Indian hospitals have begun adopting a process called deprescribing, which involves carefully reviewing and reducing medications under medical supervision. Early results from pilot programs in Delhi and Mumbai have shown promising outcomes, with many elderly patients reporting fewer side effects, improved alertness and a greater sense of well-being after certain drugs were discontinued. Physicians stress that deprescribing does not mean stopping all medications abruptly but rather involves a thoughtful, individualized approach guided by a doctor's expertise.
Health policy advocates are now calling on the Indian government to develop national guidelines for deprescribing and to incorporate geriatric medicine more prominently into medical education. With India's elderly population projected to exceed 300 million by 2050, the issue of appropriate medication management is expected to become one of the country's most pressing public health challenges. Doctors urge families and caregivers to initiate conversations with physicians about whether every pill in the daily regimen is truly needed, emphasizing that sometimes less really is more when it comes to medicine in old age.