Pill Organizers Could Adversely Affect Elderly Patients

A new study concludes that counter-intuitively, using a medication organization device (MOD) could cause patients to experience adverse effects from their medication.

Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA, Norwich, United Kingdom) conducted an observational study of people aged over 75 from six medical practices in East Anglia who were prescribed three or more types of pills. Over a third of the 288 people surveyed were found to be already using a MOD of some kind, and nearly a quarter showed signs of not taking their medication as prescribed on purpose. Of the remaining patients, 80 were not taking their medication as prescribed by mistake.

Of these 80 patients who did not already use a MOD and who were unintentionally not taking their medication as prescribed, 209 were chosen to take part in the trial. They were monitored for eight weeks, with half continuing to take their medication direct from the packet, and half switching to a MOD. Of those using a MOD, five adverse events were recorded, compared with none in the usual packaging group. The adverse effects comprised three falls, one hypoglycemic episode, and one temporary incapacitation. The study was published in the July 2016 issue of Health Technology Assessment.

“It is likely that because the patients had been taking their medication sporadically, they weren't getting the expected health improvements. The doctor may therefore have increased the dose of the medication to try to get the desired effect,” said lead author Debi Bhattacharya, BPharm, PhD, of the UEA School of Pharmacy. “When these patients were switched to a pill organizer and suddenly started taking more of their prescribed medication than previously, they experienced normal side effects of the medication.”

“People who are already using a pill organizer without any ill effects should not stop using it as they do seem to help some patients take their medication as prescribed. It's the switching stage which appears to be the danger,” concluded Dr. Bhattacharya. “When switching from usual packaging to a pill organizer, we recommend that patients speak to their GP or pharmacist to check that the doses of their medication are appropriate.”

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University of East Anglia