4 types of medication that may increase your chance of falling

Growing use of certain prescription drugs may be driving a dramatic rise in deadly falls.

November 5, 2025

By Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter

Reviewed by Sarah Berry, MD, MPH, Contributor

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A senior man who has fallen at home and is using his cane to assist in getting back on his feet, with an expression of pain on his face.

JAMA Health Forum

Many medications can make people feel drowsy or impair their balance or coordination. Known as fall risk–increasing drugs (FRIDs), they include a wide range of medications. But the most worrisome are four classes that have been heavily prescribed to older adults in recent decades: opioids, benzodiazepines, gabapentinoids, and antidepressants.

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About the Author

Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter

Julie Corliss is the executive editor of the Harvard Heart Letter. Before working at Harvard, she was a medical writer and editor at HealthNews, a consumer newsletter affiliated with The New England Journal of Medicine. She … See Full Bio

View all posts by Julie Corliss

About the Reviewer

Sarah Berry, MD, MPH, Contributor

Dr. Sarah Berry is chief of the division of gerontology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. As a clinical researcher at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute … See Full Bio

View all posts by Sarah Berry, MD, MPH

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