Q. My mother has always been active but lately she seems to be fading. She complains about insomnia and dizziness.
Her doctor recently prescribed bupropion and she had horrible side effects: trembling, heart palpitations, double vision, weakness and constipation. Her insomnia trouble was exacerbated.
Her doctor did not believe the drug could be causing these problems, but he prescribed lorazepam to help her sleep. (It doesn’t help much.)
She takes simvastatin for high cholesterol, baby aspirin for her heart and Tylenol for joint pain. She is also on clorazepate for anxiety.
My main concern is whether my mother is being overmedicated. Do you have any information on how these medicines would affect an older person?
A. The antidepressant bupropion can cause agitation along with the other symptoms your mother has experienced, including the insomnia. Prescribing a medication to treat the side effects rather than changing the medication causing the problems doesn’t make much sense to us.
We are particularly concerned about her taking two benzodiazepines (lorazepam and clorazepate), since these could contribute to dizziness and unsteadiness and are usually inappropriate for the elderly. A recent study found that mature people taking benzodiazepines are at elevated risk of Alzheimer’s disease (BMJ, Sept. 9, 2014).
Our Guide to Drugs and Older People provides information on many more drugs that can be dangerous for those over 65.
10/12/17 redirected to: https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/are-older-people-taking-the-wrong-medicines/
