May 2007 Vol. 26. No. 5

Published by the Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka, California. HSRC is a non-profit community-based organization offering services for senior citizens, multi-generational families and caregivers.

Art Therapy Color and patience tease creativity from participants
End of life compassion: Shall we have a choice about ending our lives?
May is Older Americans Month
Try out: STAR auditions set May 6,7
Pay attention to your medications
Tribute to Sister Ann McGuinn, CSJ
Redwood Community Action Agency provides low-cost rehab loans

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Pay attention to your medications
by Danna Bates

The older we get the more medications our bodies need. The more medications we take, the greater the risk of drug interactions with foods that we take or over-the-counter medications, according to the Kris Kelly Health Information Center.

Did you know that medications have become the fifth leading cause of death among seniors? Did you know that national surveys show that a person age 65 or older takes five medications? A person taking five medications has a 50 percent chance of experiencing an adverse reaction from drug interactions. For a person taking eight medications the risk rises to 90 percent. Interactions can be caused by over-the-counter medications and sometimes by the food we eat.

So how do we protect ourselves from becoming a statistic? Here are three steps: understand your prescriptions - know what you are taking and why; know what food and supplements to avoid; and ask for help from a health care professional to explain everything to you.

When getting a new prescription it is important that you understand how and when to take your medication. You need to know what you are taking and why you are taking it. Carry a list in your wallet of all your medications and dosage levels.

A recent study showed that 50 percent of the people taking medications misunderstood the labels. The little labels on the side of the bottle need to be followed. Those pesky little messages say, "do not crush," "take with food," "do not drink alcohol" and "avoid dairy products." If they say take with water, they usually mean a six- to eight-ounce glass. Take with food means with a meal or with something about 100 calories (small bowl of cereal, fruit.)

Many medications and foods do not mix. Below is a list of medications and food that should not be mixed.

o Grapefruit juice can interfere with the metabolism of medications for heart, allergy, immune system and lowering cholesterol.

o Dark green vegetables like broccoli, spinach, asparagus and red lettuce are rich in vitamin K and can interfere with blood thinning medicines like coumadin (warfarin). Vitamin K promotes blood clotting, while coumadin prevents blood clotting.

o The calcium in dairy products can block some of the absorption of certain antibiotics and iron supplements.

o Do not drink alcohol if you take sleeping pills, sedatives, antihistamines, some antibiotics and antidepressants.

o Avoid caffeine if you are taking asthma medicines or anti-anxiety drugs.

o Red wine and hard cheese contain tyramine that can increase the effects of certain antidepressants.

o High fiber foods can slow the rate of stomach emptying and can slow the release of penicillin or other antibiotics.

If you have questions, you can check with your doctor or pharmacist. Two free programs can help you also. One program is Brown Bag Medications Day sponsored by the Kris Kelly Health Information Center. This program is offered at most of the senior centers. The nurses have you put all medications and supplements in a brown paper bag and bring them with you. They use an updated web site to search for any possible drug interactions. If they find any they give you this information to take to your doctor. They can be contacted at 442-9094.

The other program is the Preventive Health Care for the Aging Clinics offered throughout Humboldt County and in Crescent City. The nurses are able to offer large variety of services to seniors age 50 and older regardless of income. They can go into detail with you regarding your health history and diet and other medical needs. This is one of my favorite programs. To find a location and to make an appointment, call 268-2107 (see monthly schedule, page 12).

Danna Bates is director of the McKinleyville Senior Center. Her e-mail is dbates@ humboldt1.com.