Fewer Seniors Taking Potentially Harmful Drugs, but More Vigilance Needed: Report
Posted on: Thursday, 13 September 2007, 15:00 CDT
TORONTO (CP) - A new report shows the proportion of seniors taking potentially harmful drugs has decreased over the last five years.
The study by the Canadian Institute for Health Information shows that use of these prescriptions dropped to just over one in four seniors in 2005-2006 from one in three five years earlier.
The study examined prescription claims by seniors in four provinces - Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick.
The institute's manager of pharmaceuticals, Michael Hunt, says researchers focused on drugs on an internationally recognized list of medications identified as "potentially inappropriate" for seniors because of the risk of adverse effects.
But Hunt says the study shows there are still potentially harmful drugs being taken by seniors on a regular basis.
The top five risky drugs were similar across the four provinces, and included hormone replacement therapy, two drugs for sleep problems, the heart drug digoxin and an antidepressant.
Source: Canadian Press
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