In the last two decades the number of people age 65 or older who are taking five or more medications has increased 300 percent. A problem that is much bigger than America’s opioid crisis, the scope and impact of over-prescribing in older adults is detailed in “Medication Overload: America’s Other Drug Problem,” a report co-authored by The Lown Institute’s Judith Garber, a Health Policy and Communications Fellow at Lown; and Shannon Brownlee, Senior VP at the Institute and author of the book, “Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine is Making Us Sicker and Poorer.” We talk with Shannon and Judith about what’s driving the practice of over-prescribing, solutions that have been effective in tackling the problem and what you can do to prevent adverse drug events. This episode airs on the heels of a newly-released report from Lown titled, “Eliminating Medication Overload: A National Action Plan.” 

Note: this episode originally aired April 11, 2019. For a transcript of that episode click here:  Transcript

Original Report: Medication Overload: America’s Other Drug Problem

Just released: “Eliminating Medication Overload: A National Action Plan”

Lown Institute Action Plan Issue Briefs (quick takes):
Reducing Pharmaceutical Industry Influence
Implementing Prescription Checkups
Improving Information at the Point of Care
Raising Awareness of Medication Overload
Educating and Training Health Professionals

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