{"id":79146,"date":"2026-09-10T21:08:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T01:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=79146"},"modified":"2026-09-10T21:10:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T01:10:23","slug":"how-older-adults-can-avoid-dangerous-medication-risks-and-safely-manage-daily-prescriptions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2026\/09\/10\/how-older-adults-can-avoid-dangerous-medication-risks-and-safely-manage-daily-prescriptions\/","title":{"rendered":"How Older Adults Can Avoid Dangerous Medication Risks and Safely Manage Daily Prescriptions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As people age, body metabolism slows down, liver and kidney clearance decreases, and sensitivity to side effects increases. According to clinical guidance like the American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria<\/strong>\u00ae, several over-the-counter and prescription medications carry heightened risks of overuse, dependency, or severe adverse events in older adults.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

1. Benzodiazepines & “Z-Drug” Sleep Aids<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Medications prescribed for anxiety or insomnia often become chronic habits, leading to physical tolerance and dependency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Common Examples:<\/strong> Alprazolam (Xanax), Lorazepam (Ativan), Diazepam (Valium), Zolpidem (Ambien), Eszopiclone (Lunesta).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Why Overuse Holds Risks:<\/strong> These sedatives stay in the body longer as metabolism slows. They significantly increase the risk of daytime grogginess, severe memory impairment, confusion, and nighttime falls or fractures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    2. Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Over-the-counter and prescription pain relievers are frequently taken daily for joint pain, arthritis, or back stiffness.<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Common Examples:<\/strong> Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), Naproxen (Aleve), Celecoxib (Celebrex), Indomethacin.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Why Overuse Holds Risks:<\/strong> Chronic NSAID use damages the stomach lining and kidneys. It increases the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, elevates blood pressure, causes fluid retention, and can interact with blood thinners or heart medications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      3. Anticholinergic Antihistamines & OTC Sleep Aids<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      First-generation antihistamines are often taken long-term for seasonal allergies or used regularly as over-the-counter sleep aids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Common Examples:<\/strong> Diphenhydramine (Benadryl, Advil PM, Tylenol PM), Doxylamine (Unisom).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Why Overuse Holds Risks:<\/strong> These medications block acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter critical for brain function and nerve communication. Regular use causes brain fog, severe confusion, urinary retention, dry mouth, constipation, and unsteady balance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Safely Managing Medications<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Review Annually:<\/strong> Schedule a comprehensive medication review with a doctor or pharmacist to assess every prescription, OTC drug, and supplement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Never Stop Abruptly:<\/strong> Medications like benzodiazepines require a gradual, supervised taper to avoid severe withdrawal symptoms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Explore Safer Alternatives:<\/strong> Non-drug interventions (such as cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia or physical therapy for pain) or safer pharmaceutical alternatives can often achieve the same goals with fewer risks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          As people age, body metabolism slows down, liver and kidney clearance decreases, and sensitivity to side effects increases. According to clinical guidance like the American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria\u00ae, several… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":79147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":71799,"font":"","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvaTAud3AuY29tXC9sYWtlbGFuZGdhemV0dGUuaW5mb1wvbmV3c1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNlwvMDlcL2ltYWdlcy0yLTMud2VicD9maXQ9NTQ0JTJDMzY3JnNzbD0xIiwidHh0IjoiSG93IE9sZGVyIEFkdWx0cyBDYW4gQXZvaWQgRGFuZ2Vyb3VzIE1lZGljYXRpb24gUmlza3MgYW5kIFNhZmVseSBNYW5hZ2UgRGFpbHkgUHJlc2NyaXB0aW9ucyIsInRlbXBsYXRlIjoiZG9pcyIsImZvbnQiOiIiLCJibG9nX2lkIjoxNjMwNDA2NjF9.GVXE9CG44hZ24Ubhc2E9A-5ncdpm2UgEp9Tc50BYvdoMQ"},"version":2,"media_source":"sig","attached_media":[{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/jetpack.com\/redirect\/?source=sigenerate&query=t%3DeyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvbGFrZWxhbmRnYXpldHRlLmluZm9cL25ld3NcL3dwLWNvbnRlbnRcL3VwbG9hZHNcLzIwMjZcLzA5XC9pbWFnZXMtMi0zLndlYnAiLCJ0eHQiOiJIb3cgT2xkZXIgQWR1bHRzIENhbiBBdm9pZCBEYW5nZXJvdXMgTWVkaWNhdGlvbiBSaXNrcyBhbmQgU2FmZWx5IE1hbmFnZSBEYWlseSBQcmVzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwidGVtcGxhdGUiOiJkb2lzIiwiZm9udCI6IiIsImJsb2dfaWQiOjE2MzA0MDY2MX0.MXQ-qw4_GX_-j1GJSSBjD3LB9gKDXW6lnUqRJd3mVLgMQ","type":"image\/jpeg"}]},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[16980,16982,16986,16977,16987,16983,16979,16402],"class_list":["post-79146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-beers-criteria","tag-drug-interactions","tag-elderly-care","tag-medication-safety","tag-over-the-counter-drugs","tag-patient-safety","tag-prescription-management","tag-senior-health"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79146"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79149,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79146\/revisions\/79149"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}