UW pharmacy faculty urges older adults to review over‑the‑counter meds after citing interaction and misuse risks

Michelle Chewy, a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy, told a community presentation that older adults should recheck the over‑the‑counter medications in their medicine cabinets because those products can cause harmful interactions with prescription drugs and lead to emergency care.

"They're still medicines," Chewy said. "What is familiar is not always safe." She summarized research showing that older adults typically take about three OTC products in addition to roughly three prescription drugs and said OTCs contribute substantially to adverse events and hospital visits.

Chewy gave several statistics and practical examples during the presentation. She said an estimated 2,200,000 older adults are at highest risk of an adverse drug event and that about half of those incidents involve an OTC drug interacting with prescription medication. She told the audience that misuse of ibuprofen leads to roughly 80,000 adverse events a year, most commonly gastrointestinal bleeding, ulcers and kidney problems. She also said unintentional acetaminophen (Tylenol) overdose…