Another big problem with the elder patient and patients in general is combination of prescription drugs or over-the-counter medicines with alcohol. Things like anti-nauseants, pain killers, anti-anxiety agents, the benzodiazipines and others, anything that can produce a central nervous system depression.

Patients ought to avoid alcohol concomitantly with these medications. Fortunately, many pharmacies today will use these auxiliary labels to warn people about these interactions. But it's not uncommon for people to forget or to overtly disobey those kinds of warnings, and it's up to us as health professionals just to remind people.

Copyright 2001