Week 7 - Polypharmacy and Misuse

Question 1

What are three reasons on why polypharmacy causes adverse medication reactions?

Answer 1

1. Increases risk for medication interaction
2. Increases risk for age-related changes to alter the therapeutic effectiveness of the medication
3. Increases the risk for misuse of medication

Question 2

What is medication administration?

Answer 2

• When two or more medications are administered at the same time

Question 3

What are the risks of medication administration (2)

Answer 3

• greater risk for interactions with another medication, food, or herbal products
• can potentiate the impact of another medication by either making one more effective or one/both less effective

Question 4

what medication interaction may occur when taken with some foods?

Answer 4

Increase leafy green vegetables can counteract the anticoagulant affects of Coumadin and aspirin

Question 5

How does polypharmacy increase the risk for altered therapeutic effect of medication? (3)

Answer 5

1. Medication interactions can change pharmacokinetic activity by altering the body’s ability to absorb, distribute, metabolize, excrete medication
   - ex tri-cyclic antidepressant med can interfere with absorption of other medications
2. Pharmacodynamics with age

Question 6

What is pharmacodynamics?

Answer 6

• effect the medication has on the body

Question 7

How does pharmacodynamics increase risk for altered therapeutic effect of medication?

Answer 7

• change of the sensitivity cell receptors to medications
• results in increased or decreased response to medication

Question 8

Polypharmacy increases the risk for misuse of medications. What are 4 types of misuse?

Answer 8

• overuse
• underuse
• erratic use
• contraindicated use

Question 9

why does polypharmacy increase the risk for misuse? (2)

Answer 9

• It becomes increasingly difficult to manage the medications
• older adults don’t understand why they’re taking the medication or when they need to take it (health literacy)

Question 10

what two factors contribute to polypharmacy and misuse of medication?

Answer 10

• health provider and systems factors
• older adult factors

Question 11

Summary of factors associated with medication misuse. (9)

Answer 11

• Cognitive impairment
  social isolation
• depression
• asymptomatic disease,
• low health literacy
• adverse medication
• long treatment duration
• high number of medications
  -poor communication
• misunderstanding about the medications or disease