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As we age, changes in our body can affect the way medications are absorbed and utilized. We become more sensitive to medications, and we are more likely to experience increased side effects, drug interactions, and other adverse drug reactions.
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Older adults are more likely to have one or more chronic illnesses, such as high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, and depression. These chronic medical conditions may be treated with multiple medications, creating issues that drive up the risk of side effects. These issues can be related to:
Types of Medication: It is not uncommon for older adults to suffer from multiple related chronic conditions. For example, many older adults with type 2 diabetes also have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and depression.
For example, typical medications for this group of people may include an oral diabetes medication (such as Glucophage [metformin]), a blood pressure medication (Diovan HCT [valsartan]), a medication to lower cholesterol (Zocor [simvastatin]) and an antidepressant (Zoloft [sertraline]). The combination of these medications has significant potential for causing adverse reactions.
Medication Interactions: Due to the increased risk of chronic illness, many older people may be taking five or more medications. The more drugs you take, the more likely you are to have a drug interaction with other medications, food or alcohol.
Complicated Dosage Schedules: Taking multiple medications at different times of the day can be complicated and increase your risk of making a mistake. For example, you may forget to take medication at the correct time or you may take a dose twice.
For medications to be effective, they have to be absorbed in to the body (usually through the intestine), distributed in the body to where they are needed (usually via the bloodstream), chemically changed or metabolized (often in the liver or kidneys) and then removed from the body (mostly through the urine).
The normal aging process can change the way medications are absorbed, metabolized, distributed and removed from the body, causing side effects to become more pronounced. These include:
As we age, our bodies have more fat relative to our bones and muscles. Although our weight may remain the same, the percentage of body fat increases. Medications that dissolve in fat may get trapped in your body’s fat cells and remain in your system for a longer period of time.
As we age, the cells in our body lose some of their water, and they are less able to dissolve water-soluble medications. As a result, some medications may become too concentrated in the body, possibly increasing the medication's effect.
Digestive system changes as a result of getting older can affect how quickly medications enter our bloodstream. The movements in our stomach slow down, and it takes longer for medications to get into our intestines, where they are later absorbed. Also, our stomachs produce less acid, and it takes longer for some drugs to break down. These changes may cause the action of a medication to be decreased or delayed.
The liver is one of the most important organs in our body for metabolizing or breaking down medications. As we age, the liver gets smaller, blood flow to the liver decreases and the chemicals (enzymes) in the liver that break down medications decline. This can result in medications collecting in the liver, thereby causing unwanted side effects and possible damage to the liver.
Similar to the liver, changes in kidney function occur as we age. The kidneys may get smaller, blood flow to the kidneys may decrease and they may become less effective at eliminating leftover medications. Starting around age 40, kidney function declines approximately 1% each year. As a result, medication stays in the body longer, increasing the risk of side effects.
Memory lapses are common in older adults, and as we age, the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia increases. Memory problems can cause people to forget to take medications, which can lead to poor control of their chronic illnesses. Furthermore, people with dementia may not be able to understand or follow a healthcare provider’s instructions, especially related to managing complex medication schedules.
Visual problems, such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts, are common in older adults and people with eye conditions, causing difficulty in reading labels on prescription medication containers and over-the-counter products. Hearing problems can make it difficult for people to hear instructions from their doctors and pharmacists.
Many older people have arthritis, physical disabilities and nervous system disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease. These conditions can make it difficult to open bottles, pick up small pills or handle medications (eye drops, inhalers for asthma and COPD, and insulin injections).
