Picture this. You start a medicine for blood pressure. A few weeks later you develop a dry, tickly cough that won’t go away. You’re given a cough mixture. The cough mixture leaves you constipated, so a laxative is added next.
Three medicines, when the first one may have been causing the problem all along.
This is called a prescribing cascade: a side effect of one medicine is mistaken for a new condition, and another medicine is added to treat it, instead of looking at the medicine that started it.
Why medicine lists grow
Over the years it’s common to end up on four, six or eight medicines a day. Each one may have a good reason. But the more medicines you take, the higher the chance of side effects and interactions, and the harder it becomes to keep track of what each one is for.
Many people assume that once a medicine is prescribed, they must take it forever. In reality, a medicine list should be reviewed as your health changes.
Breaking the cycle, safely
The answer is never to stop medicines on your own. Instead:
- Make a full list of everything you take, including vitamins, supplements and anything bought over the counter, and roughly when each one was started.
- Ask for a medication review. A pharmacist can look at the whole list and the order things were started in, and spot where one medicine may be treating another’s side effect.
- Take the findings to your doctor. Only your doctor can decide whether a medicine can be reduced, changed or stopped. Sometimes the list can be simplified safely.
Unsure about your own medicines?
Don’t guess when it comes to your health. Spend 15 minutes getting clear, independent answers from an experienced pharmacist.
This article is general information and does not replace advice from your doctor. Never stop, start or change a medicine without speaking to your doctor. In an emergency call 10177.
