Alcohol, Medication and Older Adults
For Those Who Care About or Care for an Older Adult

Module 3: Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications - Page 2 of 13

The Problem

Misuse of medications is often unintentional.

With age, there is an increase in chronic disease and disability. With disease and disability comes an increase in the use of prescription and over-the-counter medications.

Today's older adults benefit greatly from prescription drugs. Medicines now manage many diseases that once disabled people in the past. Yet these benefits come with risk. The consequences of drug misuse can be serious.

Medication misuse is the incorrect or inappropriate use of drugs intended to treat specific conditions. Misuse can include:

Misuse by patients and doctors is often unintentional. Some examples are:

PATIENT DOCTOR
Taking more or less of the medication than recommended. Prescribing unnecessarily high dose of the medication.
Using the drug for purposes other than prescribed. Prescribing without determining what other medications, over-the-counter drugs, and alcohol the patient is using.
Skipping doses or hoarding doses. Not explaining clearly how and when to take each prescription medication.
Using alcohol with prescription drugs. Not checking a patient's understanding of information or ability to manage multiple medications.

Older adults are particularly vulnerable to misuse because of the changes they are experiencing from the aging process. Understanding aging and how it affects potential medication misuse is important.

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