Concomitant alcohol and sedative-hypnotic drug use among the elderly in Norway

Abstract

Background: Sedative-hypnotic drugs (i.e., tranquilizers and sleeping pills) are more often used among the elderly compared to other age groups. Concomitant use of alcohol and sedativehypnotic drugs constitutes a particularly high risk factor for accidental injuries among the elderly. However, few studies have addressed the prevalence of concomitant alcohol and sedativehypnotic drug use and knowledge about the characteristics of such use is meagre. Aim: To assess the prevalence of concomitant alcohol and sedative-hypnotic drug use among elderly people and to explore the characteristics of such concomitant use. Data and method: Data stemmed from cross-sectional population surveys in Norway, conducted in the period 2012-2015 (sub-sample 60-79 years: N ¼ 1920). Results: Respondents reported frequencies of use of sedatives (tranquilizers), hypnotics (sleeping pills) and alcohol consumption in the preceding 12 months. Sedativehypnotic drug use was reported by 25%, and 19% reported both such drug use and alcohol use in the past year. Concomitant use, suggesting simultaneous intake of alcohol and drugs, was reported by 6%. Conclusions: Concomitant use was more often reported by women, hazardous alcohol users, non-working respondents, and by those in the lower income groups and those living alone. Health personnel need to take into consideration the risks associated with concomitant use and to inform their patients accordingly.

Interactive Effects of Quality of Life and Related Factors on Alcohol Use Outcomes

“…For example, Aira, Hartikainen, and Sulkava (2005) in a Finnish study (n =523) showed that almost 90 per cent of adults over age 75 who consumed alcohol also used psychoactive medication. Similar to results obtained from the U.S. sample (Moos, Schutte, Brennan, & Moos, 2004), a Norwegian cross-sectional population survey (Bye & Rossow, 2017) of people aged 60-79 (n = 1,920) found that women were more likely than men to mix alcohol with both anti-depressant and sedative/ hypnotic use.…”

“…Moreover, four factors suggest that the severity of consequences may be far greater due to a lack of immediate help when needed. The factors are as follows: (a) older women are more likely than men to use alcohol with psychoactive medications (Blow, 2000;Bye & Rossow, 2017); (b) more private drinking (drinking alone) among women (Blow, 2000;Bond et al, 2010;Epstein, Elber, & Al-Otaiba, 2007); (c) generally, a higher likelihood of women than men living alone (the actual case in our study); and (d) the tendency of those living alone to use alcohol with medication (Bye & Rossow, 2017). It is worth noting that in our study, experiencing "confusion" and "falls/accidents" were reported at a slightly higher rate among PD women than PD men, although this difference was not statistically significant (see Table 2).…”

Trends in older adults’ alcohol use in Norway 1985–2019

“…Additionally, older adults represent the largest consumer group of prescription drugs, and the combined use of alcohol and prescription medicines may result in an increased risk of harm and accidents for older adults who combine these substances, as well as for the people around them ( Bye & Rossow, 2017 ; Moore et al., 2007 ). In this context, it should be mentioned that compared to men, women are particularly susceptible to the effects of alcohol due to their lower ability to metabolise alcohol.…”

Thematic issue: Substance use and ageing

“…This is discussed in different ways in this thematic issue of NAD. Bye and Rossow (2017) show that alcohol use in the 60þ general population age group decreases with age, although to a much smaller extent than one would expect; however, this trend was not found in the patient population studied by Johannessen et al (2017). The articles by Naess and Nesvåg (2017) and Bergström (2017) demonstrate the wide spectrum of problems related to the use of alcohol, from the many health problems that can be only partially attributed to alcohol, to severe and long-term alcohol addiction problems.…”