THE KNOWLEDGE LIBRARY · BASELINING & MEASUREMENT
Medicines, Falls and Exercise After 60
Medicines can help protect health, yet side effects or combinations can affect alertness, balance, blood pressure and blood glucose. A medication review can be part of protecting independence.
Why Medicines Matter To Movement
Some medicines can cause drowsiness, dizziness, slower reactions or changes in vision. Others may contribute to low blood pressure on standing. Taking several prescribed, over-the-counter or herbal products increases the importance of reviewing the full list with a clinician or pharmacist.
Questions Worth Bringing To A Review
- Could any medicine be contributing to dizziness, falls or daytime sleepiness?
- Have new symptoms appeared after a medicine or dose changed?
- Are there interactions with over-the-counter medicines or supplements?
- Do exercise intensity, heat, hydration or meal timing change how I should manage my condition?
Bring the names and doses of everything you take. Never stop or change a prescribed medicine solely because an article suggests a possible side effect.
Fasting And Training Need Individual Care
Meal timing and more demanding exercise may require extra planning for people using insulin or medicines that can lower blood glucose. A person’s conditions, medicines and nutrition status matter more than a universal fasting or sprinting protocol.
When To Seek Help
Report falls, fainting, repeated low-glucose symptoms or troublesome dizziness promptly. If chest pain, severe breathlessness or a sudden neurological symptom occurs, seek urgent care.
The Takeaway
Medication review is an opportunity to improve safety and function with your care team, not an instruction to abandon treatment.
Sources And Further Reading
Educational information only. It cannot diagnose a condition or replace individual medical advice.