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Pain Management: Treating Pain in the Elderly
Safe pain treatment is available for the elderly. While elderly people are more likely to experience pain than the general population, in many cases, they are undertreated. Many older adults feel pain is just a natural part of aging and dont tell their doctors about their problem. If you or someone you love is in pain, talk to the doctor.
Treating Pain in the Elderly
Although there are a number of pain-relievers that are safe for elderly people, doctors must take special precautions when prescribing pain medication to their elderly patients since older patients handle pain medication differently than younger patients. For example, because kidneys become smaller with age, there is decreased blood flow and less effective filtration (removal of the drug). In addition, the liver undergoes a decrease in mass and blood flow with aging making it harder for the liver to break down some medications. The way drugs are administered to elderly people also can become a challenge. Decreased saliva may interfere with swallowing, and injections may be more difficult in decreased muscle mass. Also, oral drugs may be absorbed differently because of changes in stomach acid levels.
To overcome these challenges, doctors often start their elderly patients on the lowest recommended dose and then increase the amount of medication given if needed.
Points to Consider
If you are an older person experiencing pain, keep in mind that you run a higher-than-average risk of side effects from all drugs, including analgesics like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs). But, having chronic medical problems and an increased risk of side effects does not mean that your pain cannot, or should not, be aggressively treated. You may be a candidate for any of the pain-relieving therapies available. But, talk to your doctor before taking any over-the-counter medications. You may need to take a lower dose than recommended on the label.
Reviewed by the doctors at The Cleveland Clinic Pain Management Department.
WebMD Medical Reference provided in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic
