DRUG USE IN ELDERLY RESIDENTS OF AMPARO

Introduction: Old age brings many risk factors and weakness for individuals, as precarious economic situation, multiple comorbidities, social isolation, motor and cognitive deficits, multiple drug intake and adverse reactions. It is estimated that more than 80% of the elderly population use at least one drug per day and about one third consume five or more simultaneously, which makes this age group, possibly the most medicated of the society. Objective: Evaluate the use of drugs of elderly residents in the city of Amparo. Methods: The research followed the cross-sectional study model and was performed on Camanducaia neighborhood, located in the city of Amparo, SP, between 2013 and 2014, with random sample of 416 individuals recruited from the community, 65 years or older who answered a self-reported questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics and drug use. Results:The average age of the group was 73 years, most of them female, white, married or cohabiting, who never went to school, with personal income less than one minimum wage. It was recorded a total of 1572 drugs in use, with an average of 4.3 per participant, with the most widely used class of Antihypertensives. 201 medications were recorded potentially inappropriate for the elderly according to Beers criteria, the most frequent class of Benzodiazepines. Conclusions: We observed that drug therapy of the elderly has inadequate characteristics such as polypharmacy and the use of potentially inappropriate medications, predisposing the patient to their feared consequences, among them drug interactions, poisoning, adverse effects, improper use and poor adherence to prescriptions.