Medical News Today (01/17/12) Rattue, Petra
People who take two or more prescription drugs at any one time, especially drugs that lower blood pressure or cholesterol, have twice the unintentional fall rate at home, researchers have found. These effects occur even in young and middle-aged people, similar to the effect seen in the elderly. In their study, investigators assessed people of working age who died or required admission to hospital within 48 hours of an unintentional fall at home in Auckland, New Zealand, between 2005 and 2006. The study period included 344 cases, which were compared with 352 matched controls. According to the researchers, the use of prescription drugs emerged as a risk factor for injuries linked to unintentional falls. Those who took two or more drugs at the same time were 2.5 times more likely to be injured in an unintentional fall compared with those who took fewer prescription drugs. Drugs to lower blood pressure and cholesterol seemed to triple the risk of a fall, but there was no increased risk for asthma inhalers, anti-inflammatories, steroids, or antidepressants.

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