PHARMACOLOGIC INTERVENTIONS
Sedative/hypnotic drugs are used widely to treat insomnia
in older adults. Up to 40% of sleeping pill prescriptions
go to the elderly, even though age-related
physiological changes in body composition and drug
metabolism increase the risk for the accumulation and toxicity
of sedative/hypnotics in older patients. Among the
most serious adverse effects associated with these drugs
are delirium, falls, and respiratory depression, but older
adults also may have daytime sedation, dependency,
slowed reaction time, impaired memory, rebound insomnia,
and chronic sleep disorders