Most adults over age 60 take some type of medicine for a health problem. Almost half of older Americans take multiple medicines – more than four per day. As we grow older our body changes in how it responds to drugs. The more medicine that we take, the greater the chance of side effects such as increased or decreased appetite, change in taste, constipation, weakness, drowsiness, diarrhea, nausea, and other symptoms. Our doctors should know every drug we take, including vitamins and minerals, as drug-food interactions are real as well as drug-drug side effects that can make eating an experience we want to avoid.
If you take four or more medications per day and you have little appetite, ask your doctor if the medicines may be affecting your appetite or even causing taste problems (things just don’t taste they way they used to). Changing medications can make a real difference, but you need to tell your doctor that there is a problem.
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