Aussie Study Says Some Long-Term Drug Use Harmful To Elderly
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
An Australian study concluded many drugs commonly used by the elderly are useless in the long term and may even retard improvement in some conditions. The study by the University of Sydney pointed to drugs that affect the brain and nervous system as particular instances where improvement actually results from behind taken off drugs after a while. It said patients taken off sleeping pills and antidepressants after a while saw improvement in their mental abilities and were less likely to fall down. Blood-pressure drugs also were unnecessary for 85 percent of patients aged 65 and older as long as six months to five years after being taken off the drugs and that sector recorded no increase in death rate, the study said. The lead researcher said many drugs have not been studied sufficiently in elderly people. (Click here for more