You don’t need to worry about prescription drug abuse in elderly patients...it’s very uncommon.
January 1
This isn’t true...as many as 11% of older adults abuse Rx drugs.
Rx drug abuse can be particularly devastating for older patients...sedation and cognitive impairment can lead to falls and accidents resulting in hospitalization and nursing home placement.
The problem can start with failing to identify the true cause of a symptom, leading to inappropriate prescribing. For example, a benzodiazepine given to an older patient who can’t sleep, when poorly managed pain is the real problem.
Get concise, unbiased advice for effective drug therapy, plus CE/CME
Prescriber Insights: APRN includes:
- Cutting-edge advice about new medications and how they fit into practice
- Unbiased, evidence-based, 100% free of financial support from the pharma industry written by your peers
- Side-by-side comparisons of drugs by class or disease state, plus FAQs, pros/cons, and simple recommendations
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