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On Sept. 30, journalist Paula Span discussed medication overuse among older adults on WAMU’s Health Hub and urged patients and caregivers to review whether prescriptions are still appropriate. Geriatrician K. Eric De Jonge warned that taking six or seven prescription medicines is associated, in his view, with a very high likelihood of side effects or intolerance.
Paula Span, a journalist who writes about aging, discussed older adults’ use of multiple medications on WAMU’s Health Hub on Sept. 30, urging patients and caregivers to ask doctors whether each prescription is still appropriate. The discussion focused on how medicines can accumulate over time and contribute to side effects when prescriptions are no longer needed or interact with other drugs.
Span, who writes The New Old Age column for The New York Times and KFF Health News, discussed common medicines that some older patients may be overusing, including aspirin and benzodiazepines. The source does not identify particular patients, provide prescribing data, or specify how often the medicines are unnecessary.
K. Eric De Jonge, director of geriatrics at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, said that once a person takes six or seven prescription medicines, there is a “nearly 100% chance” of some kind of side effect or intolerance. That figure is De Jonge’s stated assessment in the discussion; the source does not give a study, population, or time period behind it.
Span said prescribing decisions reflect the evidence available at the time, but research changes. She added that doctors may not be up to date on the latest findings and patients can continue a medication out of habit without asking whether they still need it. The advice from experts and pharmacists cited in the report is to check with a doctor that the current medication list remains suitable.
Why Medication Reviews Matter
For older adults taking several prescriptions, a review can surface medicines that may no longer be needed and combinations that warrant closer attention. This matters because side effects or intolerance can affect a person’s day-to-day well-being, while a long-standing routine can make it easy for a prescription to continue without a fresh discussion of its purpose.
The report’s central point is that medication lists should be revisited as evidence and a patient’s circumstances change. Patients and caregivers can raise questions, but changes to prescribed medicines should be discussed with the clinician responsible for care.
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How Prescriptions Accumulate
Prescriptions are made using the medical evidence and circumstances available when treatment is chosen. Over time, research may change, a patient’s needs may shift, and medicines prescribed at different points can remain on the list. Span described that persistence as partly a matter of routine: patients may not question whether they still need a drug they have taken for a long time.
The WAMU segment addressed medication use in older adults and named aspirin and benzodiazepines as examples discussed. It did not provide a full clinical review of either drug, define which uses constitute overuse, or recommend that listeners stop taking them.
““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 Side Effect Estimate
The source does not identify the research or patient group behind De Jonge’s estimate about side effects among people taking six or seven prescriptions. It also does not quantify how many older adults are overusing aspirin, benzodiazepines, or other medicines, or describe the specific risks for an individual patient.
Listeners are not given a list of medicines to stop or a schedule for reviews. Whether a prescription remains appropriate depends on the person’s situation and should be discussed with a clinician.
Patients Can Request a Review
The next step described in the report is for patients and caregivers to check with a doctor that the medicines being taken are still right for the patient. A review can be a chance to discuss what each prescription is for, whether the reason for taking it still applies, and whether possible side effects or interactions need attention.
The source does not announce a formal program or a specific follow-up date. It leaves the timing of individual reviews to patients, caregivers, and their health care teams.
Key Questions
What was discussed on WAMU’s Health Hub?
Paula Span discussed medication overuse among older adults and encouraged patients and caregivers to ask doctors whether prescriptions are still appropriate.
Which medicines did the discussion mention?
The source names aspirin and benzodiazepines as examples of common medicines some older patients may be overusing. It does not say that every older adult should stop taking them.
What did K. Eric De Jonge say about taking several prescriptions?
De Jonge said that taking six or seven prescription medicines brings a “nearly 100% chance” of some side effect or intolerance. The source does not provide the study details or population behind that estimate.
Should patients stop a medicine they think they no longer need?
The report advises checking with a doctor to confirm that medicines are still appropriate. It does not tell patients to stop prescribed medicines on their own.
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