SENIORS SAY 'KNOW' TO DRUGS

Medications the topic of public session

LAST month, more than 100 people, mostly seniors, attended a public meeting
about medications.

The event was co-sponsored by Lionsview Seniors' Planning Society and
Therapeutics Initiative of UBC.

Dr. Robert Ragno, professor with UBC's departments of medicine and
pharmacology, and Dr. James McCormack of the UBC faculty of pharmaceutical
sciences, spoke about decision-making regarding drugs that are prescribed
to help us cope with high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol.

Under the heading "Just say know to drugs," they gave us information about
seniors' drug use, advertising that can be misleading, and how we may
become better informed about medications, both prescription and
over-the-counter products.

Did you know that:

* Most Canadian seniors fill 33 prescriptions per year and take five
different medications.

* Fifty five per cent of women and 41% of men take some form of medication.

* Women have significantly more adverse drug reactions than men.

* On the North Shore, one in three senior women is prescribed a
tranquilizer to help her get through the day or the night.

All this raises the question of what we seniors can do to be more effective
in looking after our own health.

We all know the benefits of a healthy diet, exercise, and non-smoking in
helping to prevent heart disease and other illnesses.

The doctors encourage us to take more control over our lifestyle, and to
ask questions.

If our doctor advises us to use a certain drug, here are some tips that
will help us to manage our medications wisely.

Don't assume that health problems, such as forgetfulness or confusion, are
just a sign of aging -- they may, in fact, be caused by the medicine or
combination of medicines you are taking.

If you are reacting to a medication or are experiencing side effects, tell
your doctor or pharmacist -- your doctor may adjust the dosage.

Do not drink alcohol if you are taking drugs that contain codeine or ASA.

If you are taking four or more prescription medications and/or
over-the-counter drugs, make sure to have a doctor review your medication
each month.

Talk to your health-care professional about alternatives to medication use.
Medications may not always be the best solution to a health problem.

Take medications exactly as directed by your doctor and pharmacist.

Try to go to the same pharmacy for all your medication needs and visit only
one family doctor.

Tell your doctor about any other health-care professionals you visit.

Talk to your pharmacist before taking any over-the-counter medication.
These are complex medicines that can cause the same problems as
prescription medicine -- they should be treated with care and respect.

Ask your pharmacist about possible drug interactions if you are taking more
than one medication -- as the number of medicines taken increases, so does
the possibility of medication problems.

Check with your health-care professional to see if alcohol or any foods
might cause a negative interaction with your medication.

In a nutshell: we need to look after ourselves as much as possible, to
become better informed about medications, and to ask questions.

If we are still concerned, after talking to our doctor and our pharmacist,
we can call the British Columbia Seniors' Medication Information Line at
822-1330.

Mary Segal is co-ordinator of Lionsview Seniors' Planning Society, a
non-profit society that encourages North Shore seniors to become involved
in planning and decision-making concerning issues that affect their health
and independence .

Checked-by: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)