Use of potentially inappropriate medications and adverse events in older outpatients with acute conditions

Managing polypharmacy through medication review tools - pros and cons

Inappropriate polypharmacy is a common occurrence in elderly patients, resulting in increased adverse drug reactions, nonadherence, and increased healthcare costs. Medication review and deprescribing are the primary strategies described in the literature for dealing with problematic polypharmacy. To effectively carry out the medication review, various tools have been developed. These tools can support medication review in a variety of ways. Some tools include a list of medications requiring detailed attention, while others guide medical professionals with principles and algorithms for reviewing and prescribing medicines. A third category of tools focuses on tracking and identifying symptoms that may be due to drug-related problems.

A Nonsystematic Review of the Features of Pharmacotherapy in the Elderly at the Stage of Taking Medications

The human body is subservient to the age-related changes that affect not only the outer appearance but also organs and tissues. They also concern the processes of pharmacokinetics and dynamics. This means that the absorption, distribution, and metabolism of drugs used by an elderly patient will be slowed down. Therefore, it becomes necessary to prescribe a special dosing regimen for older people. An actual problem is also that, with age, many patients require more drugs than young people. This increases the risk of side effects because many drugs are difficult to combine with each other. Pharmacy of our time is a science that is constantly developing and modernizing, which allows changing therapy for the better: prescribing drugs in smaller quantities, with a smaller range of adverse reactions and a better effect. The aim of the work is to analyze the impact and relationship of older age on the pharmacotherapy of patients, as well as the risks of drug-induced diseases. To carry out this work, such research methods as analysis, synthesis, comparative analysis, classification, analogy, abstraction, induction, and generalization were used. The features of the stages of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in the elderly were considered; we studied the data of clinical studies and literature in geriatrics; and the effects of a combination or increase in the dosage of drugs have been noted. After the collection of research data and the analysis, it turned out that it is real and necessary to avoid the negative consequences of pharmacotherapy in elderly and senile patients. Considering the natural age-related changes in the condition and functioning of organs and systems, constantly monitoring the effectiveness of drugs and undesirable reactions of the body to them, adjusting treatment protocols will have a favorable result and help optimize pharmacotherapy for the elderly and reduce the risk of side effects and diseases caused by medications.