Pills, dosages and side effects are a part of many people’s daily routine. But many people are taking drugs they don’t need, according to one local physician.
“If a relatively healthy person is taking four or more medications a day, they should go see someone,” said Dr. William Meller of the MedCenter, 2954 State St.
While Meller was quick to explain that many medications are necessary and every situation differs, that’s not always the case.
Polypharmacy is when patients take too many forms of medication or when more drugs are prescribed than clinically warranted. Meller, an internist, said it’s a major problem.
“Drug companies market us into thinking certain medications will be helpful,” he said. “But they’ve invented treatments for marginal problems that have proven to be very ineffective” such as restless leg syndrome.
Santa Barbarans often take herbal supplements and vitamins they think are benign, but that may not be the case, Meller said.
“When people get bottles of pills that come with lots of warnings and restrictions, the medicines don’t always mesh,” he said.
Meller said sometimes that’s how the health system works; doctors don’t feel they are helping unless they prescribe a medication. He has a handful of patients who expect to be given antibiotics even when it puts them at further risk.
“It’s an invitation for disaster, things get confused and medicines have negative interactions,” he said. “Also, the more doctors you see, the less likely they are noticing the big picture.”
Tips to managing medication:
» If you are taking more than four medications, go see a doctor.
» Be honest about what foods you are eating and supplements you are taking.
» Use a pillbox to organize medications and have family check in.
» Despite cautionary labels, do not skip a scheduled dose of medication unless instructed by a doctor.
But when those prescription bottles pile up and pills expire, there is only one way to safely throw them away.
The Santa Barbara County Public Works Department’s Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division has teamed up with the Sheriff’s Department to provide free drop-boxes at each of the Sheriff’s Department’s nine substations throughout the county. The Santa Barbara box is located off 4434 Calle Real.
“Throwing medication in the trash, or down the drain is putting the environment at risk,” a Goleta West Sanitary District official said. “Putting those drugs into the environment have shown to affect the water because the treatment plant isn’t set up to treat those pollutants. They can destroy entire populations of fish.”
County officials will take the disposed medication to an incinerator, which breaks them down into basic elements, said Pam Rellyea, head of the Sheriff’s Department’s Operation Medicine Cabinet.
Call 805.938.0024 with any questions.
— Noozhawk staff writer Alex Kacik can be reached at akacik@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk or @NoozhawkNews. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.