Beers Criteria: What Seniors Need to Know About Risky Medications

When you’re over 65, some common medicines can do more harm than good. That’s where the Beers Criteria, a widely used list of potentially inappropriate medications for older adults. Also known as the AGS Beers Criteria, it’s updated every few years by experts at the American Geriatrics Society to help doctors and patients avoid drugs that increase fall risk, memory problems, or kidney damage in seniors. It’s not a ban—it’s a warning. Many of these drugs still have a place in treatment, but they need careful review, especially when taken with other pills.

The Beers Criteria, a widely used list of potentially inappropriate medications for older adults. Also known as the AGS Beers Criteria, it’s updated every few years by experts at the American Geriatrics Society to help doctors and patients avoid drugs that increase fall risk, memory problems, or kidney damage in seniors. includes drugs like benzodiazepines for sleep, anticholinergics for overactive bladder, and certain painkillers that can blur vision or slow breathing. These aren’t just side effects—they’re serious risks. A 70-year-old taking three or more of these drugs is far more likely to end up in the hospital. The polypharmacy, the use of multiple medications by a patient, often older adults problem isn’t just about quantity—it’s about which pills are being used together. The Beers Criteria helps cut through the noise by flagging the ones that are riskiest for aging bodies.

It’s not just doctors who should know this. Caregivers, family members, and seniors themselves need to ask: "Is this drug still necessary?" "Could it be causing my dizziness or confusion?" Many older adults take medications prescribed years ago, long after the original reason faded. The geriatric pharmacology, the study of how medications affect older adults differently isn’t the same as for younger people. Metabolism slows. Kidneys filter less. The same dose that helped at 50 might overwhelm at 80.

What you’ll find in the posts below are real-life examples of how these risky drugs show up in practice—from dexamethasone causing confusion in seniors to DPP-4 inhibitors triggering joint pain that’s mistaken for arthritis. You’ll see how hypocalcemia and atrophic gastroenteritis complicate medication choices, and why some antibiotics or antihistamines that seem harmless can backfire in older patients. This isn’t theoretical. It’s happening in kitchens, nursing homes, and ER waiting rooms every day. The Beers Criteria is your tool to ask better questions, push back when needed, and protect health without overmedicating.