Allergy Medications and Immunizations for Older Adults

Elderly adults face more risks than young adults when they take medication. Some of these risks are simply because many elderly adults have several chronic conditions and take different medications for each. Taking multiple medications—both prescribed and over-the-counter (OTC)—increases the risk that the medications will interact in a way that causes problems. Remembering when to take multiple medications also can be a challenge. Other risks are because of changes in the way the body processes medicines.

Allergy medications

Allergy medication doses may need to be lowered for elderly adults. 

Antihistamines

Antihistamines that cause drowsiness can cause confusion in elderly adults. These medications can make them more likely to fall and hurt themselves. Newer antihistamines don't cause drowsiness. These medications are better choices for older adults. Antihistamines in general also can cause urinary problems in older men with benign prostatic hypertrophy.

Decongestants

Pseudoephedrine is the only OTC oral decongestant available. It is sold alone or in combination with an antihistamine. Pseudoephedrine can cause rapid heartbeat, irregular heartbeat, and increased blood pressure. People with hypertension or heart disease should be cautious when using it.

Immunizations

Many elderly adults don't get their recommended shots. These vaccinations, however, are as important for older adults as childhood immunizations are for children. Your immune system slowly decreases in strength as you age. That's why you should make sure your shots are up to date. 

If you have a chronic health condition or a disease that affects your immune system, you may need to follow a different immunization schedule. Check with your health care provider to see which shots you need.  

Pneumonia vaccine

Older adults should get a pneumonia shot at age 65. If you had one before age 65, you should get a second shot five to 10 years after the initial shot. 

Flu vaccine

Everyone 50 or older should get an annual flu shot, the CDC says. Older adults are more likely to develop more severe disease and complications from flu than younger people. Each year, at least 50,000 older Americans are hospitalized and many die from flu.

Tetanus and diphtheria

As you age, some of the protection offered by childhood vaccinations begins to decrease. This makes you more susceptible to disease. Currently, almost all people admitted to the hospital because of tetanus are older adults. If you are older than 65, you should get a booster for diphtheria and tetanus every 10 years. If you are younger than 65, get a tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis booster every 10 years.

Polio

You should get a polio booster if you are around children who received a live polio vaccine. This will eliminate the possibility of developing polio yourself. This is no longer a problem in the United States, because the live polio vaccine has been discontinued. Children in this country are now given the inactivated poliovirus (IPV) vaccine. If you are traveling to areas of the world where polio still occurs and you are unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or don't know your vaccination status, you should get the IPV vaccine. Two doses of IPV are given at intervals of four to eight weeks. A third dose is given six to 12 months after the second dose. 

Varicella (chickenpox and shingles)

Adults younger than 60 who have not had chickenpox or who have been vaccinated against chickenpox should receive a booster dose of the varicella vaccine.

People older than 60 should consider getting the shingles vaccine. Shingles is a disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After an attack of chickenpox, the virus lies dormant in certain nerve tissue. As people age, the virus can reappear as shingles. Shingles affects two in every 10 people. It appears as clusters of blisters, which develop on one side of the body. The blisters can cause severe pain that may last for weeks, months, or years after the virus reappears. The vaccine reduces the risk for shingles to 50 to 64 percent.