In the United States, seniors utilize 30 percent of over-the-counter drugs and 34 percent of prescription drugs. Many senior citizens regularly take many medications. They become more vulnerable to several types of management errors as a result. When elders are involved in driving, this is extremely alarming.

According to AAA, 8 out of 10 drivers who are over 65 use medicine every day. The majority of older citizens who drive, according to the survey, "do not talk to their health care providers about how the drugs might affect their safe driving abilities." Senior drivers should be properly informed about how their medicines could affect their ability to drive.

You can keep track of all of your drugs in one place with the help of the program. Additionally, it gives you personalized input on how your diet, herbal supplements, prescription and over-the-counter medications, and their combinations might influence your ability to drive safely.

Safety for senior drivers and medications

The following pointers will help keep senior drivers and others who share the roads with them safe while they are behind the wheel in addition to utilizing the AAA Roadwise RX program:

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Understand the Side Effects

Side effects are indicated in tiny type on the packaging of all drugs, whether they are prescribed or over-the-counter. Seniors frequently ignore these adverse effects before taking one since they are stated in small print.

Help your elderly loved one evaluate the adverse effects of all of their drugs, including any new ones that their doctor has prescribed. The Food and Drug Administration offers some tips on what to look for if you're confused about which side effects may not mix well with driving:

• Sleepiness/drowsiness
• Distorted vision
• Dizziness
• Sluggish motion
• Fainting
• Inability to pay attention or concentrate
• Nausea
• Excitability
• Consult the chemist.

You can speak with your chemist in place of your healthcare provider if you fail to ask them about the negative effects of all your drugs during your visit or if you are taking prescriptions from many different healthcare providers and are unclear about how they will mix.

All of the prescriptions that chemists give to their clients have adverse effects, which they are taught to understand. The majority can also offer advice on how to control such consequences. You may also ask for written medication information that you can take home with you from your chemist if they don't already give it to you.

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Think ahead

Customers can also find a list of drugs from the Food and Drug Administration that endanger their own and other drivers' safety by impairing their ability to drive. Medications that might be risky for drivers include:

• Medications prescribed for anxiety
• Antidepressants include
• Codeine-containing products
• Several allergy and cold medications
• Tranquilizers
• Pill for sleep
• Drugs that reduce pain

Dietary supplements, "stay awake" medicines, and other pharmaceuticals containing stimulants (such as caffeine, ephedrine, and pseudoephedrine).

Getting behind the wheel of a car might not be safe if you are aware that any of the aforementioned drugs are a regular part of your senior loved one's prescription regimen.

Spend some time researching senior-friendly local transit choices. You may make it safer for you or a loved one to go around town by making a list of transportation options, such as public transportation or phone numbers for taxi cab firms.

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