The following information is from Canadian
Medication Appropriateness and Deprescribing Network, November 2024

Falling for seniors can have serious
consequences. Falls can change your life, or they can end your life. There are
many risk factors that can contribute to falls. Among them, did you know that
medications can increase the risk of falling? In fact, the more medications you take, the greater your risk
of falling. This is a direct result of what is called  “medication overload”. Researchers have estimated
that our risk of falling increases by 75% when we take as few as four
medications! However, it’s important to recognize that not all medications increase
the risk of falling to the same degree.

Certain types of medications increase
the risk of falls. Different types of medications can increase our risk of
falls by affecting the way our body works. Here are a few examples:

·        
Some medications can cause dizziness or drowsiness,
making us less alert, affecting our coordination and potentially causing us to
lose our balance.

·        
Some medications cause our blood pressure or heart
rate to drop, which increases the risk of dizziness and low blood pressure.
This is particularly true when changing positions: for example, when moving
from lying down to standing up.

·        
Some medications lower blood sugar levels. When
blood sugar levels become too low (called hypoglycemia), it can make us feel
weak or cause us to faint, leading to falls.

Ten Medications that increase your risk
of falls

1. Sleeping pills

2. Antidepressants

3. Opioids

4. Diabetes medications

5. Diuretics for increased urination

6. Antipsychotics

7. Anti-epilepsy

8. Muscle relaxants

9. Prostate medications

10. Medications that dilate blood
vessels.

What can you do? Start a conversation.
Good communication with your doctor, pharmacist and/or nurse is essential to
ensure safe and effective health care. To start a conversation, here are some
questions you can ask about your medications:

1. Why am I taking this medication?

2. What are the potential benefits and
harms of this medication?

3. Can it affect my memory or cause me
to fall?

4. Can I stop or reduce the dose of this
medication (i.e. deprescribing)?

5. Who do I follow-up with and when?

If you don’t know the answers to the
above questions, ask your health care provider at your next visit. Remember to
bring a complete list of your medications.

Originally Published on https://boomersnotsenior.blogspot.com/

Royce Shook Blogger

I served as a teacher, a teacher on Call, a Department Head, a District Curriculum, Specialist, a Program Coordinator, and a Provincial Curriculum Coordinator over a forty year career. In addition, I was the Department Head for Curriculum and Instruction, as well as a professor both online and in person at the University of Phoenix (Canada) from 2000-2010.

I also worked with Special Needs students. I gave workshops on curriculum development and staff training before I fully retired