Older Adults May Be at Risk for Serious Prescription Drug Reactions

When you need medical treatment, taking prescriptions drugs is usually part of it. By the time you’re an adult, you have a good idea of what drugs you’re allergic to or what side effects you experience when you take a specific drug.

But your body changes as you age. Older adults might have a stronger response to a drug than a young adult. This reaction could lead to further health complications.

Drugs sometimes have adverse effects that aren’t clearly advertised on the bottle. Or, pharmaceutical companies might have cut corners with research to push the drug to the market faster. These actions can hurt the people who take them. In these situations, you need an Atlanta product liability lawyer. Bey & Associates will stand up for your rights when a product is defective or dangerous.

How Does Your Body Change as You Age?

As you get older, your body usually doesn’t hold as much water and gains more fat. This makes the drug less diluted and stay longer in your system.

Crucial organs that break down medication start to function at a slower pace. An older person’s liver and kidneys won’t process a drug as quickly as a younger person’s.

Because the drug has a stronger concentration and is in the person’s system for a longer period, they might experience adverse side effects to the drug.

What Drug Interactions Should You Know About?

As your body changes, its responses to drugs will differ. However, there are other factors you need to consider that could influence how the drug affects you.

Drug-Drug. When you’re older, you might be on more than one type of medication. These medications can react to each other and have side effects. One drug might make another one stronger, or to not do what it’s supposed to do.

Drug-Condition. A medical condition could make a drug more dangerous to take.

Drug-Food. Food can change how your body absorbs nutrients and the drug can affect how your body uses nutrients.

Drug-Alcohol. Medicine can react to alcohol, and when they mix you might feel sluggish or tired.

What Drugs Should You Ask Your Doctor About?

Your chance of experiencing side effects increases, and if the side effects are risky, then taking these drugs might be a bit of a danger.

• Sedative Drugs. When people can’t sleep, their doctor might prescribe them a sedative drug. In older people, they have a higher chance of falling because the drug affects them more intensely than younger people.
• Blood Pressure Drugs. Lowering blood pressure needs to have balance so the person taking it can function. These drugs affect seniors more, so they often feel dizzy or weak when they take this medication. Their side effects could lead to a higher fall risk.
• Mainly used as painkillers, these drugs can have serious side effects when they’re taken over a long period or in high doses. It’s dangerous to combine these drugs with others.

Do You Need an Atlanta Product Liability Lawyer?

If a doctor has prescribed dangerous drugs to you or a loved one, there might have been adverse side effects. You might need extra care to get over the damages the dangerous drug caused. While this can be a scary time, know that you’re not alone.

The lawyers at Bey & Associates are ready to help. Give us a call today at (877) 260-2784 for a free consultation.