Still sexy at 73, actress Suzanne Somers said she fell down a flight of stairs this year and suffered a neck injury. After undergoing surgery, Somers said she is finally free of pain. According to statistics, 1 in 4 older adults will fall every year in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 36 million seniors will fall, resulting in 32,000 deaths. Experts say that medications that cause drowsiness are the most common cause of falling in older people and are one of the easiest causes to address.
According to Better Health While Aging, Dr. Leslie Kernisan, M.D., said busy doctors don’t always warn patients of the potential risks of certain drugs, so “it’s important to identify medications that might be increasing fall risk and try to reduce or eliminate their use.” She noted that you should always consult with a physician before stopping or tapering off medication.
Experts at Harvard Medical School warn that the more medications you take, the greater the chance that one or more of them may trigger a tumble.
Here are some of the most commonly used medications that can increase your risk of falling:
- Benzodiazepines. These drugs are prescribed for anxiety or as sleep aids. The brand names include Xanax, Valium, and Ativan. Kernisan said that this class of drugs has been associated with increased risk of falls, according to many clinical studies.
- Prescription sedatives. Sleep aids such as Lunesta, Sonata, and Ambien can also trigger dizziness and falling.
- Benadryl, an older antihistamine drug, can cause drowsiness and is used in over-the-counter sleep aids like Nyquil, Sominex, and Unisom. Benadryl is one of a group of drugs called anticholinergics that block a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. Other medications that have a similar effect include the “PM” versions of analgesics such as Tylenol PM and muscle relaxants.
- Antidepressants. Medications prescribed to treat depression and anxiety such as selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) — brand names Zoloft, Celexa, Prozac, and Paxil, as well as tricyclic antidepressants like Elavil, can increase the risk of falling. According to the National Institutes of Health, virtually all antidepressants have been associated with an increased fall risk.
- Narcotics and opioids including codeine, Vicodin, Percodan, and Percocet are drugs that suppress the central nervous system and contribute to falling.