[Noozhawk’s note: This column is part of Noozhawk’s 12-day, six-week special investigative series, Prescription for Abuse.]
At 82, I am clearly a member of the group generally referred to as “seniors.” Although I try to stay reasonably active in the community by participating in groups such as Rotary, most of my associations are also seniors. There’s no escaping it. It’s not necessarily good or bad; it’s just part of the reality of growing older.
I hear and read about drug abuse among seniors, particularly alcohol, but I can’t recall ever having a conversation with another senior about the subject, so I have to conclude that it’s not a hot issue with the elderly in general, at least not among those I know.
However, there is a considerable body of literature about drug addiction (chemical dependency) among seniors, ranging from marijuana and alcohol to so-called hard drugs. But I can’t say I’ve ever known any seniors who have such problems.
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A USA Today article by Kathleen Fackelmann (July 2001), noted that “17 percent of Americans age 60 and older abuse prescription drugs or alcohol.”
Ruth Sanchez-Way, director of the federal Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, said that “many older people either don’t realize or are ashamed to admit they got a drug problem. … In many cases, prescription drug abuse goes hand in hand with a drinking problem.
“Many of the diseases caused by substance misuse (e.g., high blood pressure, stroke, dementia or ulcers) are common disorders in later life, so health-care providers and family members may not be thinking of substance abuse as an underlying cause. In addition, the guidelines and screening tests that health-care professionals use to diagnose substance misuse are often designed for younger people, and may not be easily applied to older adults.”
Since most seniors routinely take a lot of medications to keep various health problems under control, it’s not surprising that abuse of prescription drugs has become a health problem that has been increasingly getting the attention of doctors and researchers.
The problem received national attention in 2001 when President George W. Bush pledged to help “the millions of elderly Americans who can’t get through the day without popping pills or shooting up insulin.” Some of his remedies included stricter regulations for both doctors and pharmacists.
Bush noted: “Right now, drugs like Donepezil and Vasotec can be obtained with little more than a single visit to the doctors. … This can no longer be allowed to go on. We must attack the problem at the source: the HMO-backed medical professionals who prescribe, or ‘deal,’ cheap prescription drugs. If we crack down on them, seniors will have a lot harder time getting their fixes.”
In 2001, I was well into my “senior” years, and I must say, I never talked with anyone who considered abuse of prescription drugs by seniors to be a problem. In addition, I was not just a casual observer. As the CEO of the Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital for almost seven years, I was in constant contact with local doctors, and I can’t say the problem ever came up as an issue.
Bush also noted: “Seniors are responsible for a shocking 70 percent of Amiodarone abuse in this country. Nitroglycerin use among the elderly has reached similarly epidemic proportions. Because such substances are obtained legally, compounded with the clouded judgment which results from drug use, many of these addicts are not even aware they have a problem.”
In May 2010, NaturalNews.com reported that “a recent study by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found a dramatic increase in illicit drug use in adults 50 and over, including an alarming incidence of nonmedical use of prescription drugs among women aged 60 to 64. In part, the increase points to the aging of the baby boomer generation and … may necessitate the doubling of substance abuse treatment facilities by 2020.”
According to AgingCare.com, “The drugs most likely to be abused by older adults include anti-anxiety drugs, oral narcotics (e.g., codeine) and sleeping pills.”
Dr. Marin Tark, a board-certified anesthesiologist and pain management specialist, suggests that you look for some of the following signs if you suspect that an elderly person in your life is abusing prescription drugs:
» How much are they taking? If they used to take one or two a day, and are now taking four a day or six a day, that’s a red flag.
» Has their behavior or mood changed? Are they argumentative, sullen, withdrawn or anxious?
» Are they giving excuses as to why they need the pills?
» Do they ever express remorse or concern about taking pills?
» Do they ever have a “purse or pocket supply” in case of an emergency?
» Have they ever been treated by a physician or hospital for excessive use of pills?
» Have they changed doctors or drug stores?
» Have they received the same pill from two or more physicians or druggists at about the same time?
» Do they become annoyed or uncomfortable when others talk about their use of medications?
» Do they ever sneak or hide pills?
It’s clear that prescription drug abuse has become another problem in the lives of today’s seniors, and that we should all be alert to the risk of misuse of drugs by our elderly friends and members of our families.
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— Harris R. Sherline is a retired CPA and former chairman and CEO of Santa Ynez Valley Hospital who as lived in Santa Barbara County for more than 30 years. He stays active writing opinion columns and his blog, Opinionfest.com.