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Too Much Medicine Made Mother Sick

Q. My 93-year-old mother was in assisted living. She was having stomach pain, not eating much and losing weight. When I checked her meds, I found that the heart drug digoxin might be causing the problem and asked her doctor to change the medication.
She was taken off digoxin with no ill effects. Her stomach pain went away, and she gradually gained some weight back. She is now 96 and doing well. Why aren’t doctors more careful with older patients?

A. Sometimes doctors don’t have the specialized knowledge to recognize that a digoxin dose that was appropriate at 65 or 70 may be excessive in a 90-year-old. As people age, liver and kidney function tends to decline. That makes people sensitive to many medications. Loss of appetite, nausea and weight loss are classic symptoms of digoxin overdose, along with visual disturbances.
Anyone with an aging relative needs to be extra vigilant. Our book, Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them offers a chapter on keeping seniors safe. We are sending you our Guide to Drugs and Older People with lists of medicines that older people should generally shun and tips on avoiding overmedication.

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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