News: Experts Issue Warnings about Prescribing Multiple Medications for Dementia Patients

Published March 30, 2021 by health reporter/anchor WPLG Kristi Krueger

WESTON, Fla. – Neurologist Dr. Damon Salzman with the Cleveland Clinic in Weston said evidence showed that people age 65 and older should not simultaneously take three or more drugs that target the brain or central nervous system.

“The strategy that we use is to try to minimize the amount of medication that people use, especially in the elderly specifically because many of these medications can have negative side effects, so it may help their depression but it may also worsen their memory,” Salzman said.

A study by the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor found that almost 1-in-7 of the participants were taking three or more of these medications, many without good reason, despite experts’ warnings.