Sometimes, medications can induce illness. Elevating the quantity of medications heightens this probability. Some people are forced to take additional medicines to mitigate side effects. Others are unaware of side effects and use additional drugs unnecessarily.

Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause stomach discomfort and increased blood pressure. If you must take NSAIDs, you may need to use additional medications to reduce stomach acid to protect your stomach lining. However, it's also possible that NSAIDs you took the day before your doctor's appointment can increase your blood pressure, causing you to take more blood pressure medication. An adverse effect of the blood pressure medication is swelling in your ankles. Then you take another blood pressure medication or diuretic to reduce the swelling. You start with one anti-inflammatory drug and end up with four or five medicines. The older you get, the more medications you take in this way. A person who takes five or more medications all the time is called a polypharmacy patient. According to a study published in 2023 by a team of researchers at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH), 35.4 percent of adults aged 66 in Korea (about 160,000 people) are polypharmacy patients who take five or more medicines for 90 days or more.

As the number of medications goes up, the risk of side effects and drug interactions increases. Polypharmacy patients are associated with faster memory and cognitive decline than non-polypharmacy patients and an increased risk of dementia. To make matters worse, polypharmacy is also associated with an increased risk of falls. Taking multiple medications raises the likelihood of adverse reactions such as bleeding and low blood sugar due to drug interactions, leading to a higher risk of hospitalization or death. A study by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) found that older adults taking five or more medications had an 18 percent higher risk of hospitalization and a 25 percent higher risk of death than those who did not. Among polypharmacy patients, the risk of hospitalization and death increased steeply as the number of prescription drugs increased. Those taking 11 or more medications had a 45 percent higher risk of hospitalization and a 54 percent higher risk of death than those taking two or fewer medications.

How can you reduce medications? Whenever you are prescribed a new medication, inform your doctor about all the medications you are currently taking, including those you buy without a prescription. If you experience any uncomfortable symptoms, check with your doctor and pharmacist to ensure they are not due to adverse reactions or drug interactions. Regular visits to one family doctor and one pharmacy can help avoid being prescribed unnecessary medications. It's also important to know how long you'll need to take your medications and what to do if you need to reduce or stop them. However, you shouldn't stop taking medications on your own to reduce your pill count. Joining a pilot polypharmacy management program and getting a visit from a counselor can be beneficial. Remember, the best thing you can do for your health is to use only the medications you need.

Jeong Jae-hoon is a food writer and pharmacist. He covers a variety of subjects, including trends in food, wellness and medications. This column was originally published in Korean in Joongang Ilbo on Arpil 25, 2024. – Ed.