PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATIONS, AND ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION BY SENIOR CITIZENS
This research investigates problems associated with alcohol consumption by senior citizens following regimes of prescribed medications. Risks for senior citizens associated with the dual consumption of alcohol and over the counter medications, the dual consumption of over the counter medications and prescription drugs, as well as the concurrent consumption of prescription drugs, over the counter medications, and alcohol are also addressed.
Medication use by the elderly is greater that such use by other age groups in the population (Falvo, Holland, Brenner, and Benshoff, 1990, pp. 10 16). Serious problems have been identified in relation to the overuse, underuse, and inappropriate use of prescription and nonprescription (over the counter) drugs (Kahl, Blandford, Krueger, and Zwick, 1992, pp. 37 47). The concurrent use of alcohol by these elderly subjects further aggravated the problems experienced.
Behavioral Characteristics and Outcomes
A study of the behavior of elderly persons found that while 43 percent of such individuals abstain from alcohol, the majority of the elderly does consume alcoholic beverages (Forster, Pollow, and Stoller, 1993, pp. 225 239). A high proportion of the elderly persons who consume alcohol are at potential clinical risk because of their concurrent use of prescription and over the counter medications. Approximately one quarter of the elderly persons who consumed alcohol were found to be taking one or more prescription or over the counter drugs that placed them at potential risk for negative drug alcohol interactions (Forster, Pollow, and Stoller, 1993, pp. 225 239). The most common of such risks was found to be the concurrent use of over the counter pain medications and alcohol 19 percent of the elderly who consume alcohol. The most significant of the potential negative outcomes were hypertension...