Q. My husband takes blood pressure medicine (lisinopril, carvedilol, clonidine and amlodipine). In addition, he takes amiodarone and Plavix for his heart.
I believe that some of these drugs are wiping him out. He can barely keep his eyes open by 10 am after taking his pills at breakfast. He used to garden, take walks, and play doubles tennis twice a week. Now he spends most of his time in the recliner because of no energy. If he took his pills at bedtime, would that be better?
A. It is unlikely that taking all these medications at night would solve the problem. Instead he should have his medications reviewed by his cardiologist. Several of them (amiodarone, amlodipine, carvedilol, clonidine) can interact badly with each other to aggravate his heart condition.
Perhaps the doses he was placed on years ago need adjustment. As people age, their susceptibility to side effects can change.
We are sending you our Guide to Drugs & Older People and Drug Safety Questionnaire for details on how to keep medicines from contributing to cognitive decline and other complications.
