Depression and Polypharmacy in Older Adults

Hi everyone, again, terribly sorry for not posting for the past few days. I’m still figuring my life out, and am recovering from a mildly embarrassing, but not my fault illness. In the meantime, I’m trying to catch up on self care, cleaning, and sleep, and make plans for future posts, all while spending some much needed time with my pets. Here’s a brief post to appease the one’s of people who read this blog. Lol.

Mental health in older adults is an often overlooked and fascinating subject. Imagine this. Your parents, cousins, and spouse have passed away. Your children are busy with their own families and lives and have moved away. You can no longer drive. You’ve lost countless friends over the years, or simply lost touch and grown apart. You may be incontinent, have to take multiple medications just to stay alive, and may have started having memory problems. What is the result of this? Oftentimes, at the very least, depression. 

According to the National Institute on Aging, while many older adults have satisfaction with their lives, there are four main types of depression seen in this population: depressive disorder related to a medical issue, substance induced depression (either from recreational or prescribed medications), dysthymia, and major depressive disorder. Interestingly, symptoms of depression in older adults may be misdiagnosed as, or a result of dementia. 

But treating depression in older adults is not as simple as treating depression in younger adults and children. Many older adults face internalized stigma for seeking help with their mental health. And prescribing medication for this population is complicated due to changes in physical ability to remember to take medication, as well as metabolism changes that make processing medication different than younger populations. In addition to these factors, many of our elders are in a situation called polypharmacy– regularly taking more than five prescription medications, OTC medications, and/or supplements daily. Polypharmacy, while not necessarily a bad thing, does make things more complicated due to some medications being taken to negate side effects of others, as well as underreporting to the doctor or pharmacist what exactly they are taking, including supplements. While this is not necessarily mental health related, if someone is taking warfarin (blood thinner) and turmeric supplements at the same time, they can actually cause internal bleeding (usually GI) and death, before you even know what is happening! WTF? So, yeah, tell your doctors, no matter what your age is, everything you are taking!

Anyway, if this short, last minute article teaches you anything, check in on the older adults in your life! While this won’t necessarily cure their depression, as someone who has dealt with depression before, this small action goes a very long way.