Alzheimer’s Disease or Drugged?

Every year over 38 million Senior Citizen’s suffer drug complications, 180,000 of which are life-threatening, according to research by Dr. Jerry Gurwitz, chief of geriatric medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

The risk for drug errors is seven times greater in seniors than in people under age 65, according to Medco Health Solutions, a pharmacy benefits manager.

“When I was in training, my mentor taught me the maxim that any new symptom in an older person should be considered a drug side effect until proven otherwise,” Gurwitz said.

Only a doctor can tell you whether your older relative is suffering from medication side effects or from an actual disease.

Read the entire artcile at cnn.com are steps you can take to help your doctor sort out which is which.