How medications can affect your balance

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Medications make a difference — generally a positive one — in the lives of many people. But at the same time, all drugs carry side effects — and with many medications, one or more of those side effects can alter your balance. How? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, common problems include vision changes, dizziness or lightheadedness, drowsiness, and impaired alertness or judgment. Some medications can even damage the inner ear, spurring temporary or permanent balance disorders.

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Some of the commonly prescribed medications that can affect balance include:

antidepressants
anti-anxiety drugs
antihistamines prescribed to relieve allergy symptoms
blood pressure and other heart medications
pain relievers, both prescription and non-prescription
sleep aids (over-the-counter and prescription forms)

Sometimes the problem isn't a single drug, but a combination of medications being taken together. Older adults are especially vulnerable because drugs are absorbed and broken down differently as people age.

If you are concerned about how your medications may be affecting your balance, call your doctor and ask to review the drugs you're taking, their doses, and when you take them. It is never a good idea to just stop taking a medication without consulting your doctor first.

For more on improving your balance, buy Better Balance: Easy exercises to improve stability and prevent falls, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.

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Easy ways to improve your balance

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Good balance builds confidence and fosters independence. Working on balance can also bolster your abilities in tennis, golf, running, dancing, skiing, or any number of other sports or activities you love. And good balance can prevent falls, which is important for everyone, sports buff or not. Simply walking around the block requires good balance — as do rising from a chair, going up and down stairs, and even turning to look behind you.

The body systems responsible for balance can be affected by gradual changes due to aging or side effects of medications. There are also a host of health problems that can lead to unsteadiness on your feet. But many stability problems caused by arthritis, stroke, Parkinson's disease, or multiple sclerosis respond well to exercises designed to improve balance.

Most likely, you already engage in some activities that help sharpen balance, especially if you're an active person. For example:

Walking, biking, and climbing stairs strengthen muscles in your lower body. A recumbent bike or stair stepper is a safe way to start if your balance needs a lot of work.
Stretching loosens tight muscles, which affect posture and balance.
Yoga strengthens and stretches tight muscles while challenging your static and dynamic balance skills.
Tai chi moves, which involve gradual shifts of weight from one foot to another combined with rotating the trunk and extending the limbs, offer a series of challenges to improve your balance.

What if you're not at all active? Research shows that the right exercises can help sedentary folks dramatically improve their strength and balance at any age.

For workouts proven to help hone your balance, buy Better Balance: Easy exercises to improve stability and prevent falls, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.