Do Older Adults Need Routine Colonoscopies Or Low Thyroid Drugs?

MoneyPersonal FinanceDo Older Adults Need Routine Colonoscopies Or Low Thyroid Drugs?ByHoward Gleckman,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I cover tax, budget and retirement policy from WashingtonFollow AuthorApr 21, 2026, 05:25pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Doctor doing a colonoscopy for elderly man while a nurse is comforting a patient.gettyThe US health system often is plagued by too much of a (sometimes) good thing. Doctors order a test or treatment and then continue them for the rest of the patient’s life, whether they really need them or not. And, often, they are ongoing for no good reason, despite potential risks to patients.The current Journal of the American Medical Association includes important research questioning the benefits for some older adults of two common interventions: routine screening colonoscopies and the drug levothyroxine (Synthroid), a frequently prescribed medication that increases low thyroid hormones.It is important to note that both can be extremely beneficial and the new research does not suggest they never are appropriate for older adults. But these studies conclude it may be inappropriate for physicians to continue them without carefully reassessing their risks and benefits for seniors.Colonoscopies Colonoscopies remain the b est way to identify and remove polyps from the colon. By doing so, they can significantly reduce the risk of colon cancer and of dying from the disease. They may be more important than ever for younger people, whose risks of colon cancer seem to be increasing.A 2022 essay in Harvard Health presented the standard medical view: “The bottom line: Should you undergo screening colonoscopy or not? Yes! Unequivocally, yes.”MORE FOR YOUBut for many older patients, the right answer may be “no.”Like almost everything in medicine, colonoscopies come with their own risks. They ma...