Drug–Alcohol Interactions in Older U.S. Adults

OBJECTIVES: To characterize the extent and nature of drug-alcohol interactions in older U.S. adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Nationally representative population-based sample of community-dwelling older adults (N = 2,975). MEASUREMENTS: Regular drinkers were defined as respondents who consumed alcohol at least weekly. Medication use was defined as the use of a prescription or nonprescription medication or dietary supplement at least daily or weekly. Micromedex was used to determine drug interactions with alcohol and their corresponding severity. RESULTS: One thousand one hundred six (41%) of the participants consumed alcohol regularly, and 567 (20%) were at-risk for a drug-alcohol interaction because they were regular drinkers and concurrently using alcohol-interacting medications. More than 90% of these interactions were of moderate or major severity. Antidepressants and analgesics were the most commonly used alcohol-interacting medications in regular drinkers. Older adult men with multiple chronic conditions had the highest prevalence of potential drug-alcohol interactions. CONCLUSION: The potential for drug-alcohol interactions in the older U.S. adult population may have important clinical implications. Efforts to better understand and prevent the use of alcohol-interacting medications by regular drinkers, particularly heavy drinkers, are warranted in this population.