Doctors don't always give their patients the best medicine. In fact, a new study finds nearly 10 percent of prescriptions for elderly patients are inappropriate.

The problem seems to impact women more than men researchers say and seemed to occur more often when there were multiple drugs being prescribed. The three drugs most prescribed inappropriately at elderly patient visits in 2000 were the pain reliever darvocet, the antidepressant elavil, and the anti-anxiety agent valium. Inappropriate drug prescribing contributes to adverse drug reactions that can lead to serious health problems and even death. The study was conducted by researchers at the National Center for Health Statistics and The Center's for Disease Control and Prevention.