OTC drug overuse in the elderly: what to watch for.

Just as specific age-related factors increase OTC use and risk, so age also complicates diagnosis. Drug abuse and alcoholism in older patients tend to present nonspecifically. This is also true for OTC drug overuse. Diagnosis of OTC misuse or abuse can only be made if clinicians have an index of suspicion, seek multiple sources of information, interview family members, obtain urine toxicologies, and critically analyze routine laboratory data.