As we age, drugs affect our bodies differently. Some medications may become more potent, others less so. Yet others can be risky at doses that would have been safe in earlier decades.

on lorazepam effects the elderly of

Reuters Health - Doctors often prescribe potentially disabling tranquilizers to older Americans, particularly women, a new study shows. Nearly 12 percent of year-old women in used benzodiazepines, a class of sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs that the American Geriatrics Society says should generally be avoided in the elderly, U. Data from 60 percent of U. Almost one-third of older adults the the tranquilizers on a elderly basis, for four months or more, the data showed.

Benzodiazepines are effective for short-term treatment of anxiety and sleep problems but risky and of questionable value for long-term use, particularly in the elderly, he and his colleagues noted. In older people, research elderly shown that benzodiazepines increase the risks of falls tramadol 100 mg in mexico can impair cognition, mobility and driving skills.

Furthermore, long-term use can make it harder for people to stop taking the drugs. They may suffer dependence and withdrawal symptoms when the drugs are discontinued, the authors say. An editorial published with the report suggests that benzodiazepines should perhaps lorazepam effects classed with dangerous addictive substances, limiting prescription duration and prohibiting refills. Nicholas Moore and colleagues from the University of Bordeaux in France, in the editorial.

Moore and his coauthors suggest that one way to reign in overprescribing would be to allow only psychiatrists to write benzodiazepine prescriptions. Olfson would prefer to try to curb benzodiazepine use with lifestyle changes to ease anxiety and improve sleep. Benzodiazepines are prescribed to older people primarily for insomnia, but behavioral interventions work better in the long run, the authors write. Olfson advises patients with sleep problems to increase their exercise and exposure elderly light and learn techniques for winding down at the end of the day.

Xanax bars green for sale also advises people with sleep difficulties to try a series of behavioral modifications. They include not "elderly" caffeine after 11 a. A study showed that a back rub, a warm drink and listening to a relaxation tape provided a feasible alternative to sedatives for elderly, hospitalized patients, Fick noted 1. Discover Thomson Reuters. Answers On Innovation Thomson Reuters. Directory of sites.

United States. Health News. Ronnie Cohen. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.