A Recipe for Disaster: Gabapentin and Opioid Use in an Older Adult

Chronic pain is common among older adults, as is the use of medications to treat these symptoms. Aging physiology, in combination with a higher likelihood of medication use and declining renal function, makes older adults more susceptible to adverse drug effects. As such, monitoring for side effects and changes in renal function is important to avoid drug toxicity, especially during acute illness when medication errors and acute changes in renal function are more likely to occur among older adults.