Older people taking psychiatric drugs are more prone to fall

Seniors taking psychiatric drugs may be at extra high risk for 

falling according to a new  research.

Of about 400 elderly people in the study, those who took 

medications including antidepressants and anti-psychotics 

were twice as likely to report having fallen three or more times 

in the previous year, researchers found.

The new study can't prove that falls were due to the effects of 

the drugs, themselves, and not to seniors' underlying medical 

conditions, for example.

But a number of side effects of psychiatric drugs - from 

changes in thinking and attention to drops in blood pressure - 

could put elderly people at greater risk for falls, according to  

the Dr. 

Seniors are especially vulnerable to falls, which at their worst 

can cause hip fractures, head injuries or death.

If possible (psychiatric drugs) should be avoided for elderly 

patients with other risk factors for falling.

In particular, the researchers found a higher rate of multiple falls 

among people taking antidepressants, antipsychotics and 

short-acting benzodiazepines, which include the anxiety drug 

alprazolam (marketed as Xanax) and the insomnia drug 

temazepam (Restoril).

That pattern held after the team took into account any 

depression or cognitive impairment among the seniors, as well 

as their exact age, their living situation and how much they 

typically walked each day.

Seniors and their families should come to each healthcare visit 

with a list of all medications an elderly person is taking and 

what each was prescribed to treat said the Dr. Sometimes, he 

noted, a person gets put on an anti-psychotic for delirium while

in the hospital, for example, and ends up staying on it for years 

for no good reason.

Many of our old people have multiple (conditions) that need 

medication to control them or make them feel better. Every 

time somebody is considering adding something, review 

everything else they're taking to make sure there is a solid 

indication for everything they're already on," the Dr. advised.

Many different factors may raise the risk of falls and fractures, 

such as age, osteoporosis or a history of stroke.

Drugs end up being the thing that you can modify," the Dr. said.