These Medications Can Increase Your Risk of Falling  

Your chance of falling rises with age, as does your chance of being seriously hurt as a result. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that each year, 36 million seniors fall. Sadly, this results in more than 32,000 fatalities each year. 

The fall risk, according to pharmacists, can be caused by a variety of things, but it is frequently linked to drugs that might impair balance and coordination.

Continue reading to learn about four common medications that increase your risk of falling and how to keep safe while using them.

1. High Blood Pressure Medications

For many people, taking daily medication is necessary to regulate their high blood pressure. However, they need to be cautious because some blood pressure drugs might make them more prone to falling. 

To ensure you are taking these drugs at the proper times and in the proper dosages, you should stay in touch with your doctor and pharmacist.

This can help to lower these risks. Contact your doctor if your readings are persistently low or if you are suffering from negative symptoms. 

Before quitting these medications, however, it is imperative to see your doctor.

2. Medication for Anxiety and Depression

The most popular medications for treating depression and anxiety are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These medications may have certain potentially harmful side effects, such as a dramatically higher chance of falling. 

In fact, a study in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy journal found that antidepressant users had a 48% higher probability of repeat falls than nonusers.

If you are worried about your risk of falling while taking these drugs, talk to your doctor about looking into other alternatives.

3.  Sleep Aids

Another category of psychoactive drugs that have been related to a higher risk of falls, particularly in seniors, are sleep aids. Eszopiclone and zolpidem are two instances of sleep medications that have been linked to potentially fatal falls. 

Many medical professionals suggest using cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia instead of using medication to reduce the chance of major adverse effects.

Maintaining a consistent nighttime routine and developing healthy behaviors during the day are two ways to go, according to experts.

4. Opioid Drugs

Opioid painkillers are known to occasionally lead to falls. That is because they are psychoactive drugs, which can affect the way your nervous system works and how you feel, think, perceive, and behave. 

These drugs affect how the brain functions and can significantly raise the risk of falling, especially when used with other drugs that also have this effect.

It can be beneficial to talk with your doctor if you use psychoactive drugs in order to determine whether there is a safer option that might be suitable for you. 

Taking only one of these medications may raise your chance of falling. Even worse, mixing two or more medications that affect your blood pressure or brain might drastically increase this risk. 

Before starting a new medication, it is imperative to talk to your healthcare professionals about possible adverse effects.

Make sure you provide them with the most recent list of all the medications you are presently taking so they can help you discover any possibly hazardous combinations.