Individuals managing multiple chronic conditions often receive numerous daily pills from primary doctors and specialists alike. This practice, known as polypharmacy, heightens the chances and intensity of negative drug reactions.

Efforts to deprescribe - or safely discontinue unneeded medications - can lessen adverse incidents and hospital stays, though findings on graver results like mortality remain inconclusive. These insights come from a study in the recent edition of the Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal, released by Haifa's Rambam Health Care Campus.

"Polypharmacy arises when patients receive several drugs for various ailments or ongoing symptoms," the authors explained. "It raises issues such as dosing mistakes, improper scripts, interactions between drugs, and side effects. Maintaining an up-to-date record of all medications - including over-the-counter ones and supplements - and reviewing it regularly with a physician or pharmacist is essential to avoid these pitfalls."

Often, providers lack knowledge of others' prescriptions or neglect to check if the patient's health still warrants continuing them.

"As key overseers of patient drug therapy, physicians, nurses, and pharmacists are vital to deprescribing," noted Dr. Carla Matos and Cindy Pinheiro from Portugal's Fernando Pessoa University Faculty of Health Sciences.

"They guide therapeutic choices, ensuring medications are used correctly and discontinued when they no longer help or cause harm. This is especially critical for at-risk groups like seniors on long-term regimens."

Enhanced well-being and reduced medical expenses

Deprescribing targets cutting back on superfluous or risky prescriptions. Experts in the field must routinely assess regimens, consult prescribers, and refine therapies to boost life quality, the authors emphasized.

The team performed a meta-analysis, scanning literature from 2023 to 2025 in databases like Science, PubMed, and Scopus on polypharmacy and halting unneeded or dangerous drugs in the elderly.

From 116 potential articles, 79 met the criteria after screening. Core results were pulled and compiled into this narrative overview.

The analysis determined that multidisciplinary teams should lead by scrutinizing regimens, spotting unsuitable drugs, and deprescribing to minimize risks and elevate care. Such actions promote better drug use, potentially lift quality of life, and cut healthcare spending.

Global elderly populations are surging, with octogenarians set to rise sharply. Israel exemplifies this, boasting top-tier life expectancy - women at 85.5-85.7 years, men at 81.0-81.7 years, fourth in the OECD, averaging 83.8 years overall.

In Israel, daily intake of five or more drugs is widespread, affecting 37% to 51% per some data. It tops European rates often, hitting older women, those with multimorbidities, and frail individuals hardest, per the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe.

Aging diminishes organ reserves, altering pharmacokinetics - how bodies process drugs, affecting levels, dosing, and toxicity. Seniors thus face multiple illnesses, lower drug tolerance, amplified side effects, and heightened odds of improper prescribing due to comorbidities.

The research zeroed in on polypharmacy among frail elders, spotlighting common drugs and professionals' roles in spotting and stopping inappropriate ones.

Multimorbidity - two or more chronic issues - is typical in later life, shaping care from providers and patients. Prevalent among seniors and the underprivileged, it worries health systems worldwide.

Factors driving polypharmacy span patient traits, illnesses, scripts, education, income, habits like smoking or obesity, location, and background.

In the 65-69 bracket examined, polypharmacy struck 24% of the poorest versus 7% of the wealthiest. Rates climb with age but equalize across genders, making it a broad concern peaking in old age.

Proton pump inhibitors, common for gut woes, link to long-term risks like heart disease, dementia, infections, fractures, and lung issues.

"Their use has soared lately, particularly among elders, yet studies show two-thirds get them without clear gut indications."

Beyond physical meds, the review covered psychotropics. Mental health burdens one-third of Europeans, straining systems.

"Seniors suffer more from psychotropic side effects due to pharmacokinetic shifts, sensitivity, and comorbidities. Issues spike in care homes and hospitals."

Deprescribing must integrate into standard care, targeting risky classes like antipsychotics, antidepressants, and benzodiazepines in dementia cases. "Geriatric expertise demands routine med reviews for all drugs seniors take," the authors urged.