Experts Urge Patients to Start Deprescribing Conversations Amid Polypharmacy Rise
KFF Health News reports on growing concern among pharmacists and physicians about polypharmacy, the use of five or more medications, which nearly doubled among Americans over 65 between 2000 and 2020. Experts including Vanderbilt's Amanda Mixon and pharmacist DeLon Canterbury describe how "prescribing cascades," where side effects from one drug trigger new prescriptions, and fragmented records across providers and pharmacies increase the risk of dangerous drug interactions. The piece profiles a veteran whose medication interaction caused liver damage, and highlights "deprescribing," the intentional tapering of unnecessary medications, as a growing practice patients should raise with their providers. Experts recommend patients keep an updated, portable medication list to protect against uncoordinated prescribing.