Adverse reactions to medications are much more likely to occur and to be serious in older people than in the young, the American Family Physician (34#6:118) reports. In several studies of elderly people, an adverse reaction was found to be the cause of admission to the hospital in 25 to 40 percent of cases.
The reasons for this common problem are various, and one cannot single out anything that applies to them all. Nevertheless, many drugs can cause nutritional depletion by interfering with the absorption of food and the sense of taste. This, in turn can lead to a deficiency of vitamin C, which makes such people much more prone to stomach injury by aspirin and anti-arthritis drugs, with gastric ulcer and internal bleeding as the result.
Blood pressure medicines, waterpills (diuretics), and pain drugs can all produce lightheadedness and fainting when one stands up, leading to falls and injuries. Blood pressure medicines are also a very common cause of mental depression. Because side effects so often simulate natural illness, anyone who begins to feel unwell while taking medication should wonder whether the drug is to blame and should ask the pharmacist or doctor what to do.
Some medicines, such as cimetidine (trade-named Tagamet), can impair the liver’s ability to chemically dispose of other drugs.This is because the liver steadily decreases in 40 percent smaller than that of a young adult. On top of this, by virtue of hardening of the arteries, the liver’s blood supply tends to be reduced, thereby further impairing the organ’s ability to break down and dispose of drugs.
While aging, there is also a reduction in the amount of blood circulating through the kidneys. Since many drugs are I eliminated from the body in proportion to the kidney’s blood flow, here is another good reason for the elderly to take reduced doses.
A recent editorial in Geriatrics (38#11:39) concluded that elderly persons often cannot tolerate the “usual adult dosage” that is recommended on the labels of most medicine bottles. In view of what we now know, this is understandable. When in doubt, therefore, it is usually safer for older persons to take only about half the usual adult dose. However, if a drug is prescribed by the doctor, take it as ordered, but then ask him to confirm that the dosage is appropriate for your age, if you are over 65.
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Tags: General health