Regular Co-Use of Pain and Sleep Medications May Increase Risk of Frailty in Older Adults

A study in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society found statistically significant connections between self-reported regular use of prescription drugs for pain and/or sleep and longitudinal risk of frailty in adults 65 and older, reports News-Medical . These findings are especially serious, since older Americans often use two or more prescription drugs at the same time, and many of these medications are for pain and sleep. The researchers determined those who self-reported regular use of prescription drugs for pain and sleep had a 95 percent increased risk of frailty over eight years of follow-up, versus those who did not report regular use of these drugs. The respective elevated risks were 58 percent and 35 percent for regular prescription drug use for pain only or for sleep only. "Co-use of multiple prescription medications is a growing phenomenon, especially among older adults," noted Florida Atlantic University Professor Juyoung Park. "Geriatric medicine societies, including the American Geriatric Society, have developed guidelines to help prescribers avoid potentially inappropriate prescribing PIP . . . which requires assessment of several types of PIP, including the benefits and risks associated with certain drug classes."