Side effects of drugs in the elderly

Elderly people often take many medications, so it is important to know which ones have dangerous side effects to avoid.

We live in a world full of drugs, people use drugs, every household uses drugs. Sometimes people use drugs only to relieve symptoms, not to treat the cause of the disease. Most drugs have side effects, some of which are extremely dangerous. The danger of drug side effects is even higher when the elderly are the group of people who use the most drugs, whether prescribed or not.

Make the disease worse

Some prescription drugs used to treat common ailments in older patients will cause side effects that can make the condition worse. Side effects may not be immediately noticeable when first used. The longer the drug is used, the more the side effects will gradually reveal themselves.

Researchers in the UK have a report published in the August 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society on drug side effects in elderly patients. This report states that with familiar prescription drugs for people aged 65 and older, half of patients can die or develop dementia, especially when many drugs used to treat different diseases are taken at the same time. This is inevitable in the elderly because they "embrace" many different diseases at the same time.



Elderly people often have many illnesses and have to take many different types of medicine, so they must be careful with their side effects. Photo: NGOC DUNG

Elderly people often use 3 times more drugs than young people. The most common drugs are: cardiovascular drugs, antihypertensive drugs, cholesterol-lowering drugs, sedatives, antidepressants...

Drugs used to treat cardiovascular disease often cause nausea, vomiting, weight loss, loss of appetite and bleeding disorders. A familiar group of cholesterol-lowering drugs, statins, cause side effects such as muscle pain and weakness, which can make the elderly more susceptible to falls. Falls in elderly patients can cause extremely serious health consequences or can lead to death, bedridden or "inviting" many other diseases. Statins can also cause other side effects such as headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, skin rashes...

Sedatives, anti-anxiety drugs, and sleeping pills containing benzodiazepines will cause side effects such as drowsiness, confusion, falls, etc. Meanwhile, antidepressants will have many side effects such as low blood pressure, drowsiness, confusion, falls, urinary retention, etc. Antidepressants also thin the blood, reduce blood clotting function, thus increasing the risk of bleeding in the stomach and uterus. If these drugs are used in combination with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), the risk of bleeding is doubled.

Group of drugs with dangerous side effects

In addition, the elderly often use many types of drugs whose side effects are also extremely dangerous, such as:

- Antipsychotics, drugs used to treat mental disorders can lead to confusion, drowsiness, low blood pressure, falls, urinary retention, tremors, seizures, movement disorders...

- Antihistamines used to treat allergies have side effects such as confusion, drowsiness, low blood pressure, falls, sleep disorders, difficulty urinating...

- Drugs used to treat nausea and vomiting often cause side effects such as confusion, drowsiness, low blood pressure, falls, urinary retention, tremors...

- Pain relievers can cause constipation, confusion, and drowsiness. Even over-the-counter pain relievers can have serious side effects on the liver and digestive system.
- Parkinson's disease medications can lead to confusion, dizziness, low blood pressure, and increased cardiovascular toxicity.

- Antispasmodic drugs can lead to dry mouth, constipation, urinary retention, and delirium.

- Medications to treat urinary incontinence can lead to dry mouth, constipation, urinary retention, delirium, and confusion.

The above side effects are of each individual drug. Imagine if the above drugs were combined to be taken at the same time, the side effects would be much more serious. Taking drugs is difficult to avoid side effects. However, to minimize the harmful risks from side effects of drugs, there is no other way than to follow the doctor's instructions. Let's not forget an old but always timely saying: "Read the instructions carefully before use".

According to Laborer - NT