Drug advice for a Rolling Stone and fellow seniors

Published 11:40 pm Saturday, January 3, 2009

Hard to believe, but one of the bad-boy druggies of rock ‘n’ roll turned 65 last week.

Yes, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones may be looking at drugs for a whole new set of reasons: arthritis, high blood pressure, thyroid failure, diabetes, heart disease and myriad other conditions that often accompany the process of aging.

Not that I wish him poor health, but he’s sure not a poster boy for good health and moderation in all things.

So, for Keith, and all the rest of us who take drugs on a regular basis, some practical advice to start the New Year.

First, we all should carry in our wallet or purse a current list of the drugs we take on a regular basis, both prescribed or over the counter. That includes vitamins and other supplements we may choose for ourselves. That list should also include a notation of any drugs or foods that we are allergic to.

Then, in case of an emergency at home or otherwise, that vital information is immediately accessible to those who come to our aid.

Whenever we see a physician or medical professional, we need to produce that list so that they are aware of what we’re taking before any other drug is prescribed.

Vitamins and health food supplements must be treated like medications because some of them are active drugs and can interact with your prescription medications. Alcohol, tobacco, caffeine can also interact with some prescription drugs. So make sure your physician is aware of how you are using all of these.

We should go over that list with our primary physician at least twice or more a year.

Here’s why: Medication errors sicken or injure 1.5 million people, mostly seniors, every year, according to a study funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Every time you pick up a prescription at the pharmacy it comes with a printed sheet of directions describing possible side effects and the proper way to take the medication. That information should be read and then kept in a file with other such records of drug purchases.

Most careful seniors I know, especially the retired nurses, have a seven- to 14-day pill box with sections for morning, noon and night. They fill this box carefully and before taking those pills, they re-check to ensure it is the correct dosage and the right pills.

This is a very good habit, and it helps prevent a very common mistake among the elderly: taking too much. Sometimes when we’re ill or tired, we may become confused about when and if we’ve taken our meds so we just take them again. There can be serious medical complications when this happens.

And here’s another big No-No: Medications borrowed from friends and family are always dangerous and unsafe because they may act differently in your body. So if your neighbor offers you some antibiotics because you think you have the flu, that’s just not a good option.

I know women who, fearing a future bladder infection, save two or three pills from a current prescription as “insurance.” In other words, they don’t take the full amount their doctor prescribes as directed. Bad. Sometimes, even when a problem appears to be gone, there can still be lingering bacteria ready to ignite the condition all over again.

So, this is as a good a time as any to do a little spring cleaning in the medicine cabinet. Dispose of old prescription bottles and any leftovers saved “just in case.” That includes the pain pills the dentist gave you when you had a tooth extracted that you saved for a day when the arthritis in your hip was giving you the miseries.

Keith Richards managed to survived decades of recreational drug use that sent many of his peers to an early grave. Three years ago the former heroin-addict announced he’d given up such drugs because they were “too weak” to give him a high. He did, however, “appreciate” the extra morphine a nurse gave him when he fell out of a tree in Fiji.

So now at 65, he and his records are both on the golden oldies play list and Richards says he’ll only take drugs prescribed for a medical purpose. It might also help if his girlfriend doles them out from his 14-day pill box.

However, in the end, we are each the primary caregiver for our bodies and that means taking the initiative to know and manage the drugs we take to maintain health and quality of life.

Linda Bryant Smith writes about life as a senior citizen and the issues that concern, annoy and often irritate the heck out of her now that she lives in a world where nothing is ever truly fixed but her income. You can e-mail her at ljbryantsmith@yahoo.com.