BRAIN HEALTH: 

Medicine, Age, 

and Your Brain 

Many older adults take medicines to help control diseases 

like diabetes and depression, or to manage risky conditions 

like high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol. While 

medicines can help you treat your health conditions, some 

can create problems for your brain. This fact sheet discusses 

why this happens, what groups of medicines can affect your 

brain, and how to get help with controlling the reactions or 

side effects that these medicines might cause. 

WHAT HAPPENS AS I AGE? 

During normal aging, older adults’ bodies 

change in ways that affect how they process 

and react to medicines. Your brain’s physical 

structure and abilities change as you age. 

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 long it stays 

in your body. So, your body’s ability to use 

medicines changes and so does its reactions 

to them. 

Many older adults 

have health 

problems that 

require them to 

take more than 

one medicine. 

These medicines 

may interact with 

each other or with food, drink, vitamins, 

supplements, natural products, alcohol, or 

other existing health problems. For example, 

alcohol mixed with some drugs can slow you 

down, cause confusion, or affect the way 

your brain functions. 

ALCOHOL 

MIXED WITH SOME 

DRUGS CAN 

AFFECT THE 

WAY YOUR BRAIN

FUNCTIONS. 
WHAT TYPES OF MEDICINES MIGHT AFFECT MY 

BRAIN FUNCTION?

A National Academy of Medicine report describes some 

groups of medicines that may interfere with brain function 

in older adults, including cognition. Cognition means your 

ability to think, understand, learn, plan, and remember. 

These groups include some medicines that treat allergies, 

anxiety, colds and flu, depression, sleeping problems, and 

psychosis. Some of these medicines are sold over-thecounter. This means you can pick them up off the shelf 

without a doctor’s order (or prescription). Find a summary 

of the Institute of Medicine report for consumers at http://

iom.nationalacademies.org/~/media/Files/Report%20

Files/2015/Cognitive_aging/Action%20Guide%20for%20

Individuals%20and%20Families_V3.pdf.

What do doctors have 

to say about medicines 

and my brain? 

In 2015, the American Geriatrics 

Society, whose members are 

doctors, nurses, pharmacists, 

social workers, and other 

healthcare professionals 

serving older adults, updated 

its list of medicines that older 

adults should avoid or use with 

caution. For example, one group 

of medicines blocks one of the 

chemicals that your brain cells 

use to communicate with each 

other. This group of medicines 

has “anticholinergic effects,” 

and may cause older adults to 

experience confusion, memory 

loss, and other cognitive 

problems. Some people mistake 

these problems for dementia. 

Many drugs have anticholinergic 

effects. Learn more at http://

www.healthinaging.org/

medications-older-adults. 

You should get advice from a 

health care professional about 

your medicines, as there may 

be alternatives to ones that 

are causing problems. It is 

especially important to consult 

with your doctor before you 

make any changes to your 

medications. 
Here are some questions 

you can ask your health 

professional: 

• What is the name of this 

medicine and why am I taking 

it?

• How should I take this 

medicine?

• How long will this medicine 

take to work? When can I 

stop taking it?

• Does this medicine have any 

side effects on my body or 

brain and when should I call 

you about them?

• Could this medicine affect 

my brain function? How can I 

protect myself against this?

• Can I safely mix this medicine 

with the remedies, vitamins, 

natural products, and other 

drugs I take? 

• Is there another drug or a nondrug treatment that might be 

safer or more effective for my 

body and brain?

• Do I still need to be on all my 

medicines?

Each person has a special set 

of health problems and needs 

medical advice before making 

any changes to medicines. 

Abruptly stopping a medicine 

can be dangerous. 

WHAT CAN I DO TO LOWER MY CHANCE OF 

HAVING MEDICINE-RELATED PROBLEMS?

You should regularly talk with your health care professional 

(doctor, pharmacist, nurse, or physician assistant) about your 

medicines. Tell him or her about 

any reactions or side effects 

you may have. During this talk, 

provide a list of your medicines, 

including over-the-counter drugs, 

vitamins, natural products, and 

supplements. Your professional needs to know everything 

you take in order to help you get the best treatment and 

avoid medicines that can affect your cognition.

HOW DO I GET MORE INFORMATION?

For free resources on medicines and older adults, please see 

the following websites:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Older Adults and Adverse Drug Events

http://www.cdc.gov/MedicationSafety/Adult_

AdverseDrugEvents.html 

Food and Drug Administration

Medicines and You: A Guide for Older Adults 

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/ucm163959.htm

Institute for Safe Medication Practices

http://www.ismp.org

National Institutes of Health

Medicines: Use Them Safely

English: 

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/medicines 

Spanish: 

https://www.nia.nih.gov/espanol/publicaciones/

medicamentos

ABRUPTLY STOPPING A 

MEDICINE CAN BE 

DANGEROUS.