Are You Taking Too Many Medications?

Nearly 12 percent of people 65 and older report that they take over-the-counter or prescription sleeping pills regularly. But if older adults stopped using these meds, they would reduce the likelihood of a fall over their lifetime by 8.5 percent and cognitive impairment by about 2 percent, according to a 2025 study published in The Lancet Regional Health—Americas.

Get off them safely: Talk with your doctor about tapering off, which may mean lower dosages over a period of time or taking the med every other night. “Otherwise, your body can go through withdrawal, which can cause even more trouble sleeping,” says Judith Beizer, PharmD, a clinical professor at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Queens, N.Y.

Consider this instead: It’s best to focus on lifestyle and behavioral strategies, says Todd Semla, PharmD, a clinical associate professor of geriatrics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. Groups like the AGS and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommend cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia—to change thoughts and behavior that worsen sleeplessness—as the first line treatment. An online program, such as Insomnia Coach or SleepEZ, may also be effective.

If you need some help while you’re waiting for CBT-I to start working (which can take up to eight weeks), ask your doctor about short-term use of a safer sleep medication. The AGS guidelines recommend ramelteon or low-dose doxepin.

The use of prescription PPIs for gastroesophageal reflux disease more than doubled between 1999 and 2018 in the U.S.—mostly for people 55 or older, according to a 2023 study in the journal Pharmacoepidemiology & Drug Safety. But neither OTC PPIs like omeprazole (Prilosec OTC or generic) nor prescription options like dexlansoprazole (Dexilant or generic) are advised for longer than eight weeks for older adults. They increase the risk of vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and magnesium deficiencies and are linked to bone fractures, dementia, and C. diff infections.

Get off them safely: To avoid a rebound of GERD symptoms, work with your doctor to gradually lower the dosage.

Consider this instead: For symptoms, Steinman recommends an OTC heartburn product with alginate, such as Gaviscon. For nighttime discomfort, you can add an OTC acid blocker like famotidine (Pepcid or generic) as needed. And don’t smoke or eat within 3 hours of bedtime, avoid trigger foods like fatty meat or citrus, and elevate the head of your bed.

In some instances, your doctor may keep you on a PPI—for instance, if your esophageal lining has been permanently damaged by chronic GERD. “We can often successfully manage patients at the lowest PPI dose possible, especially if they really pay attention to lifestyle,” Steinman says.

Nearly 30 percent of older adults with arthritis report using pain drugs daily, according to a 2024 study in the Journal of Applied Gerontology. Prescription opioids and muscle relaxers can make them dizzy and drowsy, Steinman says. Regular use of OTC meds like ibuprofen (Advil or generic) and naproxen (Aleve or generic) can boost the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, kidney failure, heart attack, and stroke.

Get off them safely: You can stop NSAIDs at any time and opioids and muscle relaxers if you’ve taken them for less than seven days, Beizer says. Otherwise, work with your doctor on a tapering plan.

Consider this instead: For acute musculoskeletal discomfort, acetaminophen (Tylenol or generic) is safest, Steinman says. You can also try OTC anti-inflammatory topicals such as diclofenac (Voltaren or generic). For chronic pain, the AGS recommends exercise, physical therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy.

Older OTC antihistamines like diphenhydramine (Benadryl or generic) and chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton or generic) may ease allergy woes but can cause anxiousness, confusion, sedation, and blurry vision. They’ve been linked to dementia, too.

Get off them safely: You can stop taking these without worrying about rebound effects, Beizer says.

Consider this instead: OTC nasal steroids such as fluticasone (Flonase or generic) are helpful but need weeks to start working. In the interim, you can use a newer OTC antihistamine such as loratadine (Claritin or generic) or cetirizine (Zyrtec or generic). “They don’t have the same side effects as the older antihistamines,” Beizer says. OTC eye drops like ketotifen (Alaway) can help with itchy eyes. A saline nasal rinse or spray can help rinse allergens from your nose.

Experts advise that you go through all your meds, including over-the-counter products and dietary supplements, with your doctor or pharmacist each year. This helps ensure that your current drugs and dosages are still appropriate, and that they don’t interact with each other or duplicate effects. “Often, a patient is put on a medication such as a proton pump inhibitor for GERD for a short amount of time but is never told to go off of them,” says Todd Semla, PharmD. (This includes meds prescribed by someone other than your regular doctors. A 2026 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that 1 in 15 people 65 and older get an inappropriate medication after an emergency room discharge.) Check with your doctor before changing your drug regimen. “If you stop too quickly, you can develop rebound symptoms,” says Judith Beizer, PharmD.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the August 2026 issue of Consumer Reports On Health.