More than 1 in 5 older Americans take drug combos with potential for major interactions, JAMA study finds. Bring the bag to your doctor.

A USC-led study published Sept. 24 in JAMA examined nearly 5,000 community-dwelling Americans ages 62 to 85, comparing 2015-16 with 2021-23. The share taking five or more prescriptions at once rose from 31% to 35.7%, and the share taking five or more dietary supplements rose from 12.6% to 16.7%. The good news: regimens with potentially major drug interactions dipped from 25.7% to 22.3%. The less-good news: that is still more than 1 in 5. Antidepressants, statins and antiplatelet drugs were the classes most often involved, and the researchers say safety efforts should focus on those common combinations. A word of caution: a potential interaction doesn't mean harm occurred, and no one should stop a prescribed medicine on their own. That can be dangerous. What I'd encourage instead: once a year, put every pill bottle and supplement in a bag and ask your doctor or pharmacist to review them together. Supplements count. They're easy to forget, and they belong in that conversation.