Sedative use may increase the risk of falls in the elderly

Older women who regularly take Valium, Xanax or Librium may risk physical decline that can set them up for falls and a downward spiral to disability, hospitalization and death.

The pills are among a class of medications called benzodiazepines taken for anxiety or trouble sleeping. Such drugs are used by an estimated 10% to 12% of older people who live at home and are among the most commonly prescribed psychiatric medications, especially for older, white, educated women.

In 1988 and 1992, University of Washington researchers evaluated the balance and walking speed, plus the time it took to get up from a chair, of nearly 900 women age 70 and older. Performance on those particular tasks can predict whether someone will become disabled, suffer a fall and decline physically. They found that the risk of physical decline increased among women who took higher-than-recommended doses of benzodiazepines or who took the medication for more than three years.

The results, published in the November issue of the Journal of the American Geriatric Society, make a case for using the lowest possible doses of these commonly prescribed sedatives for only limited periods, and for monitoring patients who are on them, the authors of the study said.

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Jane E. Allen