People who are over the age of 65 typically have more medical problems and often are taking medications for more than one of these problems--and so the possibility of negative drug interactions is higher. In addition, they tend to be more sensitive to medications; even very healthy older people eliminate some medications from their body more slowly than they would have when they were younger and therefore require a lower or less frequent dosage to maintain an effective level of medication. It is essential to keep the prescribing doctor or therapist advised on how the medication is working and what, if any, side-effects are occurring.
The elderly may sometimes accidentally take too much of a medication because they forget that they have already taken a dose and then take another dose, or they may forget to take their medication altogether. Actually, such confusions are not specific to the elderly! “Medications Schedules” offers helpful information for people of all ages about keeping track of their medication dosages.
