Some patients may hoard drugs, which can lead to a number of problems.
Risk factors for drug hoarding:
(1) obsessive-compulsive trait or anxiety
(2) older adult
(3) other things hoarded
Other factors contributing to accumulation of medications:
(1) memory problems
(2) multiple prescribers
(3) thrifty attitude (not wanting to discard)
(4) multiple storage areas
(5) poor compliance
Hazards:
(1) drug expiration (ineffective)
(2) drug-drug interactions
(3) adverse drug reactions secondary to self-medication
Prevention:
(1) use of brown bag drug reviews
(2) participation of family members or caregivers
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Specialty: Pharmacology, clinical
ICD-10: ,
