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Paula Span discussed medication safety for older adults during a Sept. 30 WAMU Health Hub appearance, urging patients and caregivers to ask whether long-standing prescriptions are still appropriate. Physician K. Eric De Jonge warned that side effects and intolerance become common among people taking six or seven prescription drugs, though the source does not provide the evidence or definition behind that estimate.
Paula Span, who writes about aging for The New York Times and KFF Health News, urged older adults and caregivers to review whether long-standing prescriptions are still needed during a Sept. 30 appearance on WAMU’s Health Hub. The discussion focused on how medications can accumulate with age and interact, making regular conversations with a clinician relevant to people taking several drugs.
Span discussed commonly used medications, including aspirin and benzodiazepines, that some older patients may be overusing, according to the KFF Health News report. She emphasized that patients and caregivers can ask a doctor or pharmacist to review the full medication list and confirm that each drug remains appropriate. The report does not identify particular patients or describe a new clinical guideline.
K. Eric De Jonge, director of geriatrics at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, said people taking six or seven prescription medications have a nearly 100% chance of experiencing some kind of side effect or intolerance. The report does not provide the study, population, or definition behind that estimate, so it should be understood as De Jonge’s attributed statement rather than a universal risk calculation.
Span said prescribing decisions reflect the evidence available at the time, while research can change. She added that people may keep taking a medication out of habit and may not ask whether they still need it. The discussion’s practical point was to raise that question with a clinician, rather than stop or change medication without medical guidance.
Why Medication Reviews Matter
For older adults with several prescriptions, a review can help clinicians consider whether each medication still fits the patient’s current needs and whether drugs may be contributing to side effects. That matters because prescriptions can remain in place even as a person’s health changes or new evidence becomes available, as Span noted.
The report frames this as a shared, practical task: patients and caregivers can bring an up-to-date medication list to a doctor or pharmacist and ask about the purpose and continued need for each item. It does not establish that any specific medicine should be discontinued for all older people. Decisions depend on the individual and should be made with a qualified clinician.
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How Prescriptions Accumulate
The KFF Health News report describes a familiar pattern: medication use can grow over time, leaving patients with multiple prescriptions and sometimes drugs that may no longer be necessary. A medication started for one reason can become part of a routine, while later prescriptions add to the overall mix. The source highlights potential side effects and interactions but does not quantify how often these occur across older adults.
Span’s comments place medication review in the context of changing medical evidence. A prescription may have been reasonable when it began, yet patients may not revisit it unless they or a clinician raise the question. The report provides no date for the research or a formal review schedule; it recommends checking with a doctor to make sure current medications remain suitable.
“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
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What the Report Does Not Specify
The source does not state the year of Span’s Sept. 30 appearance, identify the research behind De Jonge’s estimate, or explain how “side effect or intolerance” was measured. It also does not specify which patients or medications the estimate covers. The figure therefore cannot establish an individual patient’s likelihood of harm.
The report does not name particular prescriptions that should be stopped, give a standard interval for medication reviews, or describe a new policy or clinical recommendation. Whether a drug remains appropriate depends on the patient’s circumstances and requires discussion with a qualified health professional.
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Bring the Full List to a Clinician
Patients and caregivers can ask a doctor or pharmacist to review all current prescriptions and discuss whether each is still needed. The KFF report offers this as a practical next step; it does not announce a follow-up study, policy change, or scheduled review program.
For anyone considering a change, the next step is a conversation with the prescribing clinician. The source advises checking that medications remain right for the patient and does not recommend stopping a drug independently.
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Key Questions
What development is the report about?
Paula Span discussed medication reviews for older adults during a Sept. 30 appearance on WAMU’s Health Hub. She encouraged patients and caregivers to ask clinicians whether long-standing prescriptions are still appropriate.
What did the physician say about taking six or seven prescriptions?
K. Eric De Jonge said people taking six or seven prescription medications have a nearly 100% chance of some type of side effect or intolerance. The report does not give the source or methodology for that estimate, so it should be treated as his attributed statement.
Does the report say older adults should stop particular drugs?
No. It discusses aspirin and benzodiazepines as examples of medications some older patients may overuse, but it does not tell all patients to stop them. Any medication change should be discussed with a qualified clinician.
What should patients or caregivers ask?
They can bring a complete, current medication list to a doctor or pharmacist and ask whether each prescription is still needed and appropriate. The source recommends checking with a clinician rather than making changes independently.
Source: rss
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