People’s Pharmacy: Older Americans face high risk of dying from Rx-induced falls. Are you on these meds?

Q. A few years ago, my cardiologist put me on spironolactone to lower my blood pressure from 140/80. Shortly thereafter, I got up from bed for the bathroom. I blacked out in the bathroom, fell and fractured two vertebrae.

I was given a walker and kept on the spironolactone. Later, I was using the walker to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I blacked out again, fell onto the walker and cut both knees. That resulted in a three-week stay in a rehab facility.

My cardiologist never mentioned that spironolactone might make me faint or fall. I’m no longer on any blood pressure medication, but due to the fractures, I am 4 inches shorter, and my life has been changed forever.

A. A recent article in JAMA Health Forum (Aug. 1, 2025) points out that older Americans are at high risk for dying from medication-induced falls. In fact, more people die from falls than from breast cancer, prostate cancer or car crashes.

While it is important to control high blood pressure, overtreatment that causes dizziness or blackouts can be life-threatening. Other drugs that also put older people at risk for falls include anti-anxiety drugs (benzodiazepines), antidepressants and pain relievers, including opioids and gabapentinoids (gabapentin and pregabalin). Anyone who feels dizzy or unsteady should ask their primary care provider to review their meds and deprescribe any that are no longer essential.

To learn more about how to lower blood pressure, you may wish to read our “eGuide to Blood Pressure Solutions.” This online resource can be found under the Health eGuides tab at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, or email them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them.”