Use Caution with these Common Prescriptions
According to The National Institute of Health Senior Health, there are a cluster of medications that commonly cause concern with seniors in terms of abuse and side effects.
If you or a family member have been prescribed opioids, depressants or stimulants on a regular basis you need to stay on top of their use.
Seniors and Opioids
Doctors prescribe opioids mainly to relieve pain. Short-term, medical use of opioids is safe and rarely causes addiction. However, long-term use of opioids, or use in a way other than prescribed, can lead to physical dependence or addiction.
Common opioid prescription medications include:
Morphine (MS Contin®, Kadian®, Avinza®), which is used before and after surgical procedures to treat severe pain
Codeine (Tylenol with Codeine®, Robitussin AC®), which is prescribed for mild pain
Hydrocodone (Vicodin®, Lortab®, Zydone®), which is prescribed to relieve moderate to severe pain
Oxycodone (OxyContin®, Percodan®, Percocet®, Tylox®, Roxicet®), which is used to relieve moderate to severe pain
Fentanyl (Duragesic®), which is a strong pain medication typically delivered through a “pain patch” and prescribed for severe ongoing pain.
Depressants for Seniors
Depressants are used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders. Depressants slow normal brain function, and decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing. They can cause confusion, drowsiness, fatigue, and impaired coordination. Long-term abuse can lead to addiction.
Commonly prescribed depressants include:
Benzodiazepines are used to treat anxiety, acute stress reactions, and panic attacks. Examples are diazepam (Valium®), and alprazolam (Xanax®). Some benzodiazepines, such as clonazepam (Klonopin), are prescribed for short-term treatment of sleep disorders.
Additionally, there have been studies that connect a higher risk of development of Alzheimer’s Disease to Benzodiazepine use.
Non-benzodiazepine sleep medications are also used to treat sleep problems, but typically with fewer side effects and less risk of addiction than benzodiazepines.
Examples are zolpidem (Ambien), eszopiclone (Lunesta), and zalepon (Sonata). They differ in chemical structure from benzodiazepines, but act on some of the same brain receptors.
Barbiturates are used to treat sleep disorders and seizures (epilepsy). Examples are seconal sodium (Secobarbital®), mephobarbital (Mebaral®), and pentobarbital sodium (Nembutal®).
Stimulants for Elderly Patients
Stimulants are used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy (a sleep disorder), and depression that has not responded to other treatments. These medications increase alertness, attention, and energy. They include methylphenidate (Ritalin® and Concerta®), and amphetamines (Adderall®). Stimulants increase blood pressure and heart rate, constrict blood vessels, and produce a sense of euphoria in some people.
Medication Management: Broad Street Can Help
If you have concerns about medication management, or the medications being prescribed by your doctor, please consult with them to see if there are alternative treatments.
Medication management, including monitoring the duration and necessity of the prescription for an elderly patient, will help avoid abuse or unwanted side-effects.
Broad Street Home Care can help ensure medications of all types are delivering the expected results, while monitoring for unexpected or unintended outcomes.
We provide personal home care assistants who can help manage medications. Through our professional network we can help you find the right resources and doctors to help answer questions or identify areas of concern. For more information, please call 847.728.0134.