Some Disorders and Symptoms That Can Be Worsened by Drugs in Older People
Some Disorders and Symptoms That Can Be Worsened by Drugs in Older People
| Disorder or Symptom | Drugs |
| NSAIDs (such as ibuprofen and naproxen) | |
| Delirium Delirium Delirium is a sudden, fluctuating, and usually reversible disturbance of mental function. It is characterized by an inability to pay attention, disorientation, an inability to think clearly... read more , dementia Dementia Dementia is a slow, progressive decline in mental function including memory, thinking, judgment, and the ability to learn. Typically, symptoms include memory loss, problems using language and... read more , or mild cognitive impairment | Antipsychotic drugs Corticosteroids Drugs with sedative effects (such as benzodiazepines, sedatives, and sleep aids, including eszopiclone, zaleplon, and zoldipem) or anticholinergic effects* Histamine-2 blockers (cimetidine, famotidine, nizatidine, ranitidine) Meperidine |
| Fainting Fainting Light-headedness (near syncope) is a sense that one is about to faint. Fainting (syncope) is a sudden, brief loss of consciousness during which the person falls to the ground or slumps in a... read more or orthostatic hypotension Dizziness or Light-Headedness When Standing Up In some people, particularly older people, blood pressure drops excessively when they sit or stand up (a condition called orthostatic or postural hypotension). Symptoms of faintness, light-headedness... read more (sudden decrease in blood pressure when a person stands up) | Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (for example, donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine), peripheral alpha-1 blockers (used to treat hypertension or prostate symptoms in older men, such as doxazosin, prazosin, terazosin), some tricyclic antidepressants (for example, amitriptyline, doxepin, imipramine), antipsychotics (such as chlorpromazine, thioridazine, olanzapine), and beta-blockers (for example, metoprolol, atenolol, carvedilol) |
| Drugs with sedative effects (such as antiseizure drugs, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, eszopiclone, zaleplon, and zolpidem), antidepressants, and opioids | |
| Cilostazol Some (nondihydropyridine) calcium channel blockers (diltiazem, verapamil), usually used to treat hypertension NSAIDs, COX-2 inhibitors, thiazolidinediones (pioglitazone, rosiglitazone), dronedarone | |
| Certain antinausea drugs (metoclopramide, prochlorperazine, promethazine) and most antipsychotics except a few such as quetiapine, clozapine, and pimavanserin | |
| Aspirin and most NSAIDs | |
| Doxazosin, estrogens taken by mouth or through the skin (not applied directly to the vagina), prazosin, terazosin | |
| Urinary retention Urinary Retention Urinary retention is inability to urinate or incomplete emptying of the bladder. People who have incomplete emptying of the bladder may have urinary frequency or urinary incontinence. If the... read more or urinary symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate Symptoms Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a noncancerous (benign) enlargement of the prostate gland that can make urination difficult. The prostate gland enlarges as men age. Men may have difficulty... read more (such as slow urinary flow, frequent urination of smaller amounts, and dribbling) | Drugs with anticholinergic effects*, cold remedies containing decongestants, or a combination of antihistamines and decongestants |
| * Anticholinergic effects Anticholinergic: What Does It Mean? Drugs, the most common medical intervention, are an important part of medical care for older people. Without drugs, many older people would function less well or die at an earlier age. Older... read more COX-2 inhibitors = coxibs; NSAIDs = nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Adapted from The American Geriatrics Society 2019 Beers Criteria Update Expert Panel: American Geriatrics Society updated Beers Criteria® for potentially inappropriate medication use in older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 67(4):674-694, 2019. doi:10.1111/jgs.15767 | |
