TL;DR
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A KFF Health News report highlights how prescriptions can accumulate as people age and interact with changing evidence and health needs. Geriatrics physician K. Eric De Jonge and journalist Paula Span urge patients and caregivers to review medication lists with a clinician; the report does not identify a new study or policy change.
Paula Span, who writes about aging for The New York Times and KFF Health News, urged older adults and caregivers to review medication lists with clinicians during a Sept. 30 WAMU Health Hub discussion. The report describes how prescriptions can accumulate over time and says drugs that are no longer needed may contribute to side effects when combined with other medications.
Span discussed commonly used medicines, including aspirin and benzodiazepines, that some older patients may be overusing, according to the report. Its central recommendation is practical: patients and caregivers should ask a doctor or pharmacist whether each medication remains appropriate and whether the full combination is safe for that person.
K. Eric De Jonge, director of geriatrics at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, said the likelihood of side effects or intolerance rises with the number of prescriptions. He said that once a person takes six or seven prescription medicines, there is a “nearly 100% chance” of some sort of side effect or intolerance. The source does not provide a study, date, or additional details supporting that estimate.
Span said prescriptions are made using the evidence available at the time, while medical research can change. She also described how patients may continue a medicine out of habit without asking whether they still need it, and said clinicians may not always be current on newer research. Those points are her assessment in the discussion, rather than findings from a study detailed in the report.
Why Medication Reviews Matter
A medication list can change as a person’s health needs and available evidence change. Reviewing it gives patients and clinicians an opportunity to discuss whether each drug still has a purpose and whether medicines taken together could be contributing to unwanted effects. The report does not say that all older adults should stop or reduce any particular drug.
The advice also gives caregivers a role in safety: they can help keep an up-to-date list and raise questions at appointments. Decisions about starting, stopping, or changing a prescription should be made with a qualified clinician, who can consider the person’s circumstances and the reason the medicine was prescribed.
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How Prescriptions Can Accumulate
The report frames medication review as an ongoing conversation, rather than a one-time check. A prescription that made sense when first given may merit reassessment later, and patients can fall into routines that make it less likely they will ask whether it remains necessary.
Span’s discussion included medicines such as aspirin and benzodiazepines, but the source does not list specific patients, dosing patterns, or particular cases. Its advice is to check with a doctor or pharmacist before making changes, with the entire medication mix considered.
““Once you get to six or seven prescription medications, you get a nearly 100% chance of some sort of side effect or intolerance.””
— K. Eric De Jonge, director of geriatrics at MedStar Washington Hospital Center
Evidence Behind the Risk Estimate
The source does not specify the year of the Sept. 30 broadcast, provide supporting research for De Jonge’s “nearly 100%” estimate, or explain how that figure was calculated. It also does not quantify how often older patients overuse the medicines discussed or identify which combinations pose risks in particular circumstances.
The report offers general advice, not individualized guidance. It does not establish that a given prescription is unnecessary or unsafe for any reader. Whether a medicine should continue depends on the patient’s health and the reason it was prescribed.
Bring the Full List to a Clinician
Patients and caregivers can start by bringing an up-to-date list of prescription medicines to a doctor or pharmacist and asking whether each remains appropriate, including how the medicines may work together. They should discuss concerns before changing or stopping a prescribed drug.
The report does not announce a policy change, new clinical guidance, or a formal follow-up. The next step it describes is an individual conversation between patients, caregivers, and health professionals.
Key Questions
What is the report’s main advice?
Ask a doctor or pharmacist to review the full medication list and discuss whether each prescription remains appropriate.
Should someone stop a medicine they think they no longer need?
The report advises checking with a clinician. It does not recommend stopping or changing a prescription without professional guidance.
Which medicines did the discussion mention?
Span discussed commonly used drugs including aspirin and benzodiazepines. The source does not give a complete list or specify individual risk levels.
What did the physician say about taking six or seven prescriptions?
De Jonge said that at six or seven prescription medicines, there is a “nearly 100% chance” of some sort of side effect or intolerance. The source does not include the evidence or method behind that estimate.
Source: rss
