Medication that makes you more likely to fall

Many drugs can make people more likely to fall. The more drugs you take, the more likely it is that one of them or a combination of them will make you fall. Some medications are known to have side effects that make people more likely to fall.

Anti-hypertensive drugs are given by doctors to keep blood pressure under control and lower the chance of having a stroke or heart failure. But when you stand up from lying down or sitting, these drugs can make your blood pressure too low (orthostatic hypotension). This is common among older people. The result is feeling dizzy and faint, which can make it easy to fall.

Medications that slow down the central nervous system are among the most likely to make people fall because they make people less alert and slow down their movements and reactions. These things are:

Drugs like diazepam (Valium) and lorazepam are used to treat anxiety (Ativan)

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), is an older antihistamine. It is the most common ingredient in over-the-counter sleep aids like Nyquil, Sominex, and Unisom. This is because it makes you feel sleepy. It is often taken with pain meds like acetaminophen (Tylenol PM), ibuprofen (Motrin PM, Advil PM), and naproxen (Aleve PM).

Prescription drugs like oxybutynin (Ditropan) and tolterodine are used to treat an overactive bladder (Detrol).

Tricyclic antidepressants. Most of the time, doctors prescribe antidepressants like amitriptyline (Elavil) to help people with chronic pain, especially nerve pain, feel better.

Prescription sleep aids like Ambien (zolpidem), Sonata (zaleplon), and eszopiclone (zopiclone) (Lunesta).

Opioids like codeine, hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (Percodan, Percocet), hydromorphone (Dilaudid), and fentanyl are some examples of narcotics (Duragesic).

Photo by Polina Tankilevitch: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-taking-pill-3873187/