Many older adults take medicines to:
• Help control diseases like diabetes and depression
• Manage risky conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol
• Manage chronic pain
While medicines can help you treat your health conditions, they may also affect you differently as you age.
As you age, your body changes in ways that affect how you process and react to medicines.
Your circulatory and digestive systems, liver, and kidneys slow down and can affect how fast medicines enter and leave your body.
Weight changes may affect how much medicine you need and how Get regular advice from a health long it stays in your body.
Your medicines may interact with each other or with food, drink, vita- mins, supplements, natural products, alcohol, or a health problem.
Groups of medicines that may interfere with brain function include some that treat:
• Allergies
• Anxiety.
• Depression
• Sleeping problems • Psychosis
Some of these medicines are sold over the counter. This means you can pick them up off the shelf without a doctor’s order (or prescription).
Take steps to promote care professional about your medicines, especially before you make any changes in the way you take them. Abruptly stop- ping a medicine can be dangerous.
Talk to your health care professional about your medicines and their po- tential impact on your health and brain health. If necessary, talk about alternatives to your medicines.
Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage on older adults and medicine side effects.