Dinishak.com MindBlog

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March 1st, 2012

2012 AGS Updated Beers Criteria was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society today. Here is the link to that.

The Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication (PIM) Use in Older Adults is one of the most frequently consulted sources of information about the safe prescribing of medications for older adults and is used widely in geriatrics clinical care, training, and research.

For a neuropsychologist, it’s a good idea to check medication interactions and to become aware of potential cognitive side-effects of medication. Multiple drug usage is common in all developed countries. In the U.S., polypharmacy is found in 40% of those older than 65 years. An example of the importance of multiple medications can be seen with drugs that have anticholinergic effects; when more than one drug is taken that has this effect, side effects can include an increase in the patients’ total anticholinergic burden as evidenced by clinical signs such as dry mouth, sedation, confusion and even hallucinations and delirium

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