It depends. In the case of the elderly they can cause problems but they can be a life saver too. It is a case of using them with caution and adjusting dosage if there are side effects. Sometimes people end up on a particular dose and it never gets reviewed.
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This guy is under the care of several doctors for depression, bipolar, etc. and they're all prescribing tons of meds (without contacting one another, I believe) plus- he's 65, so the results are predictable! I hope something like that didn't happen to Ms. Lam. If her case is anything like his (and I don't think it is) she could have easily have fallen in without realizing. Great post... I love ones that raise more questions than they answer... makes you think!
That sounds typical. Often elderly people are on so many medications that the interactions become crazy. We used to admit people to hospital sometimes when I was working in Stroke medicine and we sometimes had people on like 20 different meds. The reason was that every specialist was prescribing them something different and nobody was overseeing everything in totality. We often found they improved because we had to stop all their medication in the acute situation.
That's what I wish would happen to him. In 2003 he got Graves Disease and had his thyroid irradiated effectively killing it. He dropped to under 100 lbs. He got depressed about it and the docs started him on antidepressants. When asked how he felt he said OK some days but not others... Oh Oh- you're bipolar... here take some of this!!! If I had my way all of these quacks would be in prison!
That's the thing you have to be very cautious using multiple medications especially in the elderly. Who knows how many people die as a result of the side effects - falls seem to be a very common issue in elderly people and polypharmacy is one of the causes.
How well I know, my friend! I barely sleep, listening for cries for help from downstairs. Then I have to pick him up, get him back into bed (then usually mop up pee where goes on the floor). I keep wondering if he wouldn't be better off in a home... except that I know he wouldn't. He has periods of lucidity and near functionality... he would be miserable put away, especially during those times which he would find unbearable.