[Medicines and elderly patients: abuse, dependency or attraction?]

Psychotropic medicines represent, after alcohol, the second class of substances most susceptible to abuse by elderly people. It can be particularly difficult for caregivers to understand such behaviour as these are prescription-only medicines. This misuse is partly a result of older people tending to trivialise and overrate pharmaceutical drugs, ignoring the potential of non-medicinal methods and psychotherapeutic treatments. The boundaries between prescribed use, overuse, self-medication, excessive use, dependency or addiction to prescription drugs are blurred in older people. Alongside withdrawal methods, prevention must be prioritised by respecting the recommendations of medicine prescriptions in geriatrics and deprescription.