By 65, a trip to the pharmacy can involve considerably more than picking up one prescription and heading home. You may have medications from multiple doctors, an occasional over-the-counter pain reliever, vitamins, supplements, and perhaps something you only take when symptoms flare up. That combination makes medication management after 65 increasingly important because aging can change how the body absorbs, processes, and eliminates medicines, while taking multiple drugs raises the possibility of interactions and side effects. The National Institute on Aging specifically identifies polypharmacy (the use of multiple medications) as a growing concern for older adults. Your pharmacist can be one of your most accessible resources for sorting through that complexity, especially if you arrive with the right questions.
