HEALTH
Ask Dr Mark
YOUR QUESTIONS/ THE POWER OF TOUCH/ KNEES
Our expert advises on identifying medication, coeliac disease and strength-improving exercises
Q My husband and I take ten different types of medication a day between us, and we have no idea what some are supposed to do. Judging by our friends and neighbours, I suspect we are not alone in this. Would our local pharmacist be able to explain what they are all for?
O"\
My heart sank when I read your email as this complaint is all too familiar. And it shouldn't be. One in ten people over the age of 65 in the UK now takes at least eight different medicines every day, rising to one in four in those over 85 and many of them, like you, have no idea what all their pills are for.
In an ideal world, everyone should have both the benefits and the risks (side effects) of any new medication explained to them before they start taking it. However, this is often rushed in busy GP surgeries and hospital outpatient clinics, meaning that too many people end up on treatments they don't fully understand.