Risks associated with the use of psychoactive drugs in the elderly population

Abstract

Objective: To describe the risks of using anxiolytics and sleep inducers in the elderly population. Bibliographic review: Polypharmacy grows more and more within the elderly population, in view of this, the natural aging process itself generates changes in the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic stages of drugs, bringing some adverse reactions to the elderly.  The most used drugs within this age group are represented by the class of anxiolytics and sleep inducers. Long-term use of benzodiazepines whose consumption reaches 15% to 43% in adults aged 65 years and over increases the risk of side effects, such as dependence, sedation, cognitive and psychomotor impairment and falls. The sleep inducers, mainly represented by tricyclic antidepressants, can generate sedation, postural hypotension, constipation and dementia effects in the elderly, due to their high anticholinergic action. Final considerations: It is evident that medications such as anxiolytics and sleep inducers should be carefully prescribed by physicians, with few adverse effects that can be caused by these drugs when used in the long term.