Doctors Are Quietly Phasing Out These 6 Medications for Seniors—But Millions Still Take Them Daily

Medication reviews become increasingly important after 65 because prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines and supplements can interact or cause side effects that raise the risk of falls and other injuries. Older adults should never stop a prescription solely because it appears on a potentially inappropriate medication list. DC Studio/Shutterstock

Open an older adult’s medicine cabinet, and you may find prescriptions accumulated over years, over-the-counter sleep or allergy products, pain relievers, and medications prescribed by several different doctors. Most may be entirely appropriate, but aging can change how the body responds to certain drugs, and some medications deserve another look after 65.

That’s the purpose of the American Geriatrics Society’s Beers Criteria, a widely used clinical resource identifying medications that may pose greater risks for older adults. The list isn’t a collection of drugs that every senior must stop taking, and the AGS emphasizes that individual circumstances matter.