All articles tagged with #beers criteria
Medical research now often finds that medications commonly used by older adults provide limited benefit or carry higher risks, leading to guideline revisions, additions to the Beers Criteria, cautions from the USPSTF, and sometimes FDA black-box warnings as clinicians rethink prescribing for seniors.
The FDA has flagged 8 common OTC drugs as high-risk for people over 60 due to age-related changes in drug metabolism, including antihistamines, NSAIDs, PPIs, decongestants, and laxatives, urging seniors to review their medications with healthcare providers to avoid serious side effects and interactions.
The Beers criteria is a guideline to help guide safe prescribing practices in the geriatric population. Adverse events and drug interactions should almost always be on our differential diagnosis with elderly patients. Emergency physicians should be familiar with the Beers criteria, which includes recommendations to avoid certain medications due to potential harm, such as antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and nonselective NSAIDs. However, the guidelines lack clear citations and discussion of absolute risk, making it difficult to incorporate into evidence-based practice.