Seniors Mixing OTC and Prescription Drugs

According to a study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association, almost 70% of older adults who take prescription medications also use non-prescription drugs, dietary supplements, or both, researchers say, and one in 25 older adults is at risk of suffering a bad reaction to a poor combination of drugs.

Scientists say seniors also are using more medications than in the past. Almost one third take more than five prescription drugs, and more than half rely on a combination of five or more prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements.

The study, published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association, analyzed a nationally representative sample of more than 3,000 adults, ages 57 to 85, who were surveyed between June 2005 and March 2006. Read more.