Senior Medications: Safe Use, Common Risks, and What to Watch For

When you’re over 65, your body processes senior medications, drugs taken by older adults that require special dosing and monitoring due to age-related changes in the body. Also known as geriatric medications, they aren’t just smaller versions of adult pills—they behave differently inside your system. Your liver and kidneys don’t work as fast as they used to, which means drugs stick around longer. That’s why a pill that was fine at 40 can cause dizziness, confusion, or falls at 70. It’s not the drug’s fault—it’s your body’s changing chemistry.

This is why elderly drug metabolism, the way the body breaks down and removes medications in older adults, which slows due to reduced liver and kidney function matters so much. A common blood thinner like warfarin, for example, needs careful tracking because even small changes in diet or other meds can throw off your INR levels. Same with blood pressure drugs—mixing them with over-the-counter decongestants like pseudoephedrine can spike your pressure dangerously. And let’s not forget drug interactions, when two or more medications affect each other’s effectiveness or safety, often leading to harmful side effects in seniors. A simple antacid can interfere with antibiotics. An arthritis pill might make your heart meds less effective. These aren’t rare cases—they happen every day.

It’s not just about what you take—it’s about how much, how often, and why. Many seniors take five, six, even ten different pills. That’s not because they’re sick with ten diseases—it’s because each doctor treats one condition without seeing the full picture. That’s where age-related pharmacokinetics, how aging changes the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination of drugs in the body comes in. Your muscle mass drops, fat increases, and water content falls. All of that changes how a drug spreads through your body. That’s why a standard dose for a 30-year-old might be too strong for someone 75. And it’s why switching from a brand drug to a generic—or back again—needs careful review. Not all generics are equal in older bodies.

You don’t need to be a pharmacist to protect yourself. Start by asking: Is this still necessary? Could this be causing my dizziness or memory lapses? What happens if I stop this one? Keep a written list of every pill, vitamin, and supplement you take—including dosages and times. Bring it to every appointment. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s "just aging" if you feel off. Many side effects are fixable, not inevitable.

Below, you’ll find real, practical guides on exactly what to watch for—whether it’s how warfarin reacts with greens, why itching might be a drug reaction, or how kidney changes affect your meds. These aren’t theory pages. They’re tools made by people who’ve seen what happens when senior medications aren’t managed right. Use them to ask smarter questions, spot red flags, and take back control of your health.