Catalyst on ABC1 12/8/2010. These are notes taken from the program. Local pharmacists were contacted to ask if they provided Home Medicine Reviews:
Polypharmacy looks at the interactions experienced by people taking multiple drugs a drug cocktail.
Some people especially older people are taking large cocktails of medication every day.
Common symptoms of drug interactions:
[ul]Confusion and delirium
Falls
Weakness
Vomiting & sickness[/ul]
The [b]Home Medicines Review[/b] focuses on pharmacies reviewing patient’s entire daily medication. This is a service where an accredited pharmacist comes to your home and reviews all medications. The procedure is for your GP to initiate the request for the pharmacist to arrange the Review. It is Commonwealth-funded – the charge depends on your circumstances. Most of our local pharmacies would have someone accredited to conduct a Home Medicines Review.
Local pharmacies which can provide Home Medicines Reviews are:
* Arana Plaza Day & Night Chemmart Chemist 2 Patricks Rd Arana Hills 3351 6100
* Arana Hills Discount Drug Store Arana Hills Kmart Plaza Arana Hills 3351 3852
* Keperra Chemmart Great Western Super Centre Keperra 3351 7600
* Patricks Rd Pharmacy Ferny Fair Shopping Plaza 170 Patricks Rd Ferny Hills 3351 5300
* United Discount Chemist 1300 Samford Rd Ferny Grove 3851 2100
Don’t provide it: [United Discount Chemist Ferny Grove Shopping Village 3351 2434; Dallas Parade Compounding Chemist Dallas Pde Keperra 3355 3905 ]
One of the joys of geriatric medicine is changing the combination of drugs or stopping some medications and seeing people get better and rise from the ashes!
There is very little research information on the effects of interactions between medications. Most drugs are tested on young healthy volunteers for limited periods. Trials specifically exclude subjects on multiple drugs.
Medications can also interact with complementary medicines especially ones like gingko biloba and St John’s wort.
Drugs to particularly look out for are ones which:
[ul]thin the blood & can increase bleeding
lower blood pressure
drugs that act on the brain[/ul]
Don’t reduce medications on your own. Always consult your doctor.
Encourage your doctor to review your medications and reduce or remove any no longer needed. Doctors fear litigation if they don’t prescribe fearing they will be liable for withholding drugs.
There is a ‘Drug-burden Index’ which helps pharmacists look at the drugs you are taking.