According to a study published in the JAMA on Dec 24, at least two million older Americans are taking a risky mix of medicines including OTC drugs and dietary supplements, as well as prescriptions drugs, and older people are more vulnerable to side effects and drug-to-drug interactions.

The most common combination of non prescription drugs with the potential for a serious interaction was ginkgo biloba and aspirin. Taken together, the two can increase the risk of internal bleeding. Mixing incompatible drugs can block the effectiveness of drugs or exaggerate medications side effects and adults over 65 account for more than 175,000 emergency department visits for adverse drug reactions each year.