Human study · Supplements / medicine · 24 Sept 2026
More older Americans take five or more drugs, and about 1 in 5 still face a major interaction
Source: EurekAlert / University of Southern California
What the research found
Study (repeated cross-section). Dima Qato and colleagues report in JAMA (24 September 2026; doi 10.1001/jama.2026.17268) on nearly 5,000 community-dwelling US adults ages 62 to 85, comparing 2015–2016 with 2021–2023. Use of any prescription medication stayed about 84%, and any dietary supplement about 66%. Polypharmacy, five or more prescription medications at once, rose from 31% to 35.7%. Dietary-supplement polypharmacy rose from 12.6% to 16.7%. Regimens with a potentially major drug interaction fell from 25.7% to 22.3%, so more than 1 in 5 people were still in that group. Antidepressants, statins, and antiplatelet therapies were the classes most often involved. This is a surveillance snapshot, not advice to start or stop a medication or a supplement. Changes belong with a clinician. Educational notes.
Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.
Read the original at EurekAlert / University of Southern California
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