Some common medications impair older adults' driving

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-09-30 01:00

International

CC-0. Credit: Kampus Production on Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/an-elderly-man-riding-a-cabriolet-8631626/

US and South African researchers say some drugs prescribed to older adults appear to be impairing their ability to drive. They looked at data for 198 cognitively healthy people aged 65 and above, and found drivers were more likely to fail a road test as they aged if they'd been prescribed two different types of antidepressants, sedatives or hypnotics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including aspirin and ibuprofen, or paracetamol. However, drugs used to lower fat levels had the opposite effect, with patients on these treatments less likely to fail the test than those on no medication, the authors say. Medical professionals should be aware of the potential effects on driving ability when prescribing drugs to older adults, the experts conclude.

Attachments

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public. Research URLs will go live after the embargo ends.

Research JAMA, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Washington University, USA

Funder: Dr Beyene was supported by the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC 23/181, HRC 21/867, HRC 21/056), A+ Charitable Trust, New Zealand Pharmacy Education and Research Foundation, New Zealand Ministry of Health, Universitas 21, and Amgen. Dr Babulal receives research support from the Bright Focus Foundation (A2021142S) and the National Institute on Aging (R01AG074302, R01AG068183, R01AG067428, and R01AG056466).

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.