Older adults taking multiple medications are at increased risk for complications such as adverse drug reactions, medication errors, and harmful drug interactions. This study investigated the occurrence of potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PIP) in a community pharmacy in Trujillo, Peru, applying the STOPP/START criteria (Screening Tool of Older Persons’ Prescriptions/Screening Tool to Alert Doctors to Right Treatment). A total of 158 individuals participated, with the majority aged 65–69 years (66.5%), male (53.8%), and consuming 3–4 medications (77.9%). Evaluation using the updated STOPP/START version 2 revealed that 93.7% of participants had at least one STOPP criterion indicating medications that should be discontinued, and 53.8% had at least one START criterion suggesting medications that should be initiated. The most prevalent STOPP issue was the need for gradual benzodiazepine withdrawal, while the most frequent START recommendation was initiating antihypertensive therapy in patients with systolic blood pressure above 160 mmHg and diastolic pressure above 90 mmHg. Principal component analysis demonstrated a significant correlation (p < 0.05) between the number of prescriptions and PIP prevalence, and also showed that fewer medical diagnoses were observed in younger participants. These findings reveal a notably high rate of inappropriate prescribing in this population, emphasizing the importance of active involvement by community pharmacists to improve medication management among older adults.
