Increase in Dietary Supplements Raises Risk of Drug-Drug Interactions in Older Adults

​Almost one in six older adults may be at risk for a major drug-drug interaction, a rate that is at least partly attributable to an increase in use of dietary supplements since 2005, according to a study in the April 2016 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine. The authors conducted interviews and examined the medications of more than 2,000 adults ages 62 to 85 in 2005 and 2006 and again with a similar group in 2010 and 2011. They found that the rate of those using at least one medication, including prescription or over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements, increased slightly from 84% in 2005-2006 to 88% in 2010-2011.