Senior Medication Safety Risks

Rising Medication Use Leaves One in Five Older Adults Facing Drug-Interaction Risks

Medication use among older Americans is rising: a USC-led study found that the share taking five or more prescription drugs increased between 2015–16 and 2021–23, while more than one in five remained at risk of a potentially major drug interaction. Although such interactions became somewhat less common, frequently involved medicines included antidepressants, statins and antiplatelet therapies. Other reports warn that some prescriptions—particularly benzodiazepines and sleep medications—may continue long after their original need, despite risks such as impaired balance, cognitive effects and falls; they also describe lingering antibiotic use for uncomplicated diverticulitis and the shift away from routine aspirin to prevent a first cardiovascular event in many older adults. A separate study identified 24 potentially inappropriate prescribing cascades, in which a drug’s side effect is mistaken for a new condition and treated with another medication. The reports point to regular medication reviews and closer coordination among patients, clinicians and pharmacists as ways to reduce unnecessary medicines and preventable harm.

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