Episode 33 - Legal Overdose- The Shocking Statistics Behind Our Use (Overuse) of Pharmaceuticals

On this episode of The Health & Happiness Podcast, we're delving into the shocking statistics of America's pharmaceutical dependence. We discuss the research on falls, mortality, and other risks involved with polypharmacy -- as defined as greater than 5 prescription medications per day.

Sources:
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-020-09920-x

Falls and Polypharmacy
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4125318/
https://www.cdc.gov/steadi/pdf/STEADI-FactSheet-MedsLinkedtoFalls-508.pdf

Postmarket Safety Events
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2625319

Harvard Ethics Analysis
https://ethics.harvard.edu/blog/new-prescription-drugs-major-health-risk-few-offsetting-advantages

Polypharmacy and Mortality
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28784299/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-75888-8