Two million Britons are taking seven different prescription drugs

Two million pensioners are taking at least seven types of prescription drugs - putting them at risk of potentially lethal side-effects, a major report warns. Age UK said the rise of “polypharmacy” was putting lives at risk, with three quarters likely to suffer adverse reactions to at least one of their drugs. The research found that the number of emergency hospital admissions linked to such side-effects has risen by 53 per cent in seven years, with some cases proving fatal.