Association between loneliness and medication use in Canadian adults

Loneliness affects one in seven community-dwelling Canadian older adults, and is associated with poor health outcomes, including death. Polypharmacy defined as daily use of three or more prescribed medications is common among Canadian older adults and has been linked to poor health outcomes in this population. Furthermore, use of medications such as opioids and benzodiazepines (additive medications) in older adults remains a concern due to the higher risk of falls and fractures linked with use of these medications. While lonely older adults have been shown to have a higher use of alcohol and smoking, it is unclear if they are at risk of polypharmacy and use of addictive medications. Our aim is to evaluate the association between loneliness and polypharmacy and the use of addictive medications among Canadian older adults. Our findings will help clinicians to inquire about loneliness among older adults and mitigate its effects on medication use and its attendant health effects.