Medication management can reduce interactions and side effects that may lead to falls. Although many medication classes have been linked to falls, the evidence is strongest for a few drug categories.
Avoid prescribing medications for an older person where the risk from side effects outweighs the benefit
According to the CDC, they feel it is MOST important to:
- reduce or eliminate psychoactive drugs, especially any benzodiazepines.
- Eliminate medications if there is no active indication to use them.
- Reduce doses of necessary medications (e.g.,antihypertensives) to the lowest effective dose.
- Avoid prescribing medications for an older person where the risk from side effects outweighs the benefit (e.g., skeletal muscle relaxants).
With even more changes and reductions in psychotropic medications coming in 2018, now is a good time to be proactive and implement programs that can help you achieve these mandates.
Medication Management, via pharmacogenetic testing is a great way to avoid trial and error prescribing and have scientific-based results at your fingertips when treating your residents.
For more information on this Medication Management Program, via pharmacogenetic testing, contact:
PGx Medical, info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112. .
What about those patients with psych diagnosis.
We report on the following medication classes – depression, anxiety, seizure, bipolar, pain, cardio, anti-coag, ADHD and thrombophilia. We also analyze 19 genes and receptor sites. Psych is a big piece of the puzzle and we work closely with Psych Drs across the country. If you will go to our website under the tab “For Doctors” you will see a video from Dr. Patton, a psych doctor in Oklahoma who utilizes our program in his day-to-day patient care. If you would like more information on our program and how to implement it into your community, please let us know info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112.
Thank you for comment, Carole. Let us know if we can help in anyway.
PGx Medical