Conclusions The use of sedatives and hypnotics and antidepressants including tricyclic antidepressants , selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors , and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors appears to be related with an increased risk of falls .
It is not clear if the use of antihypertensive medications is associated with the risk of falls in older people
Purpose Falls are an important public health problem in older people .
Medication use is considered a risk factor for falls .
This study systematic ally review ed recent studies to determine the medications that might be associated with the risk of falling in older people .
Physician–Patient Communication About Prescription Medication Nonadherence: A 50-state Study of America’s Seniors
Context Underst and ing and improving the quality of medication management is particularly important in the context of the Medicare prescription drug benefit that took effect last January 2006 . Objective To determine the prevalence of  physician – patient dialogue  about  medication cost and medication adherence among elderly adults nationwide . Design Cross-sectional survey . Participants National stratified r and om sample of community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older . Main Outcome Measures Rates of physician – patient dialogue about nonadherence and cost-related medication switching . Results Forty-one percent of seniors reported taking five or more prescription medications , and more than half has 2 or more prescribing physicians . Thirty-two percent overall and 24 % of those with 3 or more chronic conditions reported not having talked with their doctor about all their different medicines  in the last 12 months . Of seniors reporting skipping doses or stopping a medication because of side effects or perceived nonefficacy , 27 % had not talked with a physician about it . Of those reporting cost-related nonadherence , 39 % had not talked with a physician about it . Thirty-eight percent of those with cost-related nonadherence reported switching to a lower priced drug , and in a multivariable model , having had a discussion about drug cost was significantly associated with this switch ( odds ratio [ OR ] 5.04 , 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] 4.28–5.93 , P < .001 ) . Conclusions We show that there is a communication gap between seniors and their physicians around prescription medications . This communication problem is an important quality and safety issue , and takes on added salience as physicians and patients confront new challenges associated with coverage under new Medicare prescription drug plans . Meeting these challenges will require that more attention be devoted to medication management during all clinical encounters
Conclusions The use of sedatives and hypnotics and antidepressants including tricyclic antidepressants , selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors , and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors appears to be related with an increased risk of falls .
It is not clear if the use of antihypertensive medications is associated with the risk of falls in older people
Purpose Falls are an important public health problem in older people .
Medication use is considered a risk factor for falls .
This study systematic ally review ed recent studies to determine the medications that might be associated with the risk of falling in older people .