Medicines Note · 5 min read

Too many tablets? How to make the medicine list that matters

Half of older Indians take five or more medicines. One honest list makes every doctor's visit safer

The Pushpa team · 3 sources

Pushpa notes04

3 tablets · morning and nightWednesday

The medicine list

Taking several medicines at once, called polypharmacy, is now the norm for older adults. A review of 27 Indian studies found it in 49% of older people, and 28% were taking at least one medicine considered potentially inappropriate at their age

49%

of older Indians take five or more medicines (Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2021)

Every extra tablet adds a chance of a side effect or a clash with another one. And remembering them is hard: the WHO has long reported that only about half of people with long-term conditions take their medicines as prescribed

Build one list, and keep it current

Different doctors prescribe at different times, and nobody sees the whole picture unless someone writes it down. For each medicine, note:

The name, both brand and generic if you can find it
The dose and when she takes it: morning, afternoon, night, before or after food
Why she takes it, in plain words
Who prescribed it, and when
Anything bought over the counter, plus vitamins, supplements and ayurvedic medicines

Questions worth asking at every visit

The US National Institute on Aging suggests asking, for each medicine: what is it, and why am I taking it? What should I do if I have serious side effects? What should I do if I forget a dose? It also suggests asking whether every medicine is still needed. Using one pharmacy, where possible, helps catch clashes

How Pushpa helpsSend Pushpa a photo of a prescription and it reads the medicines, doses and timings into her list for you to confirm. Reminders go by notification, WhatsApp or a call, and Pushpa warns you when about five days of a medicine are left

Never stop or change a medicine without her doctor. This post is general information, not medical advice