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CD-ROM Today (UK) (Spanish) 15
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01659.txt
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1994-01-17
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$Unique_ID{BRK01659}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medication Effects and the Elderly}
$Subject{nursing home medications affect aging Community social Medication
Effects Elderly drugs drug combinations senility depression anxiety delirium
prescriptions interactions interaction nonprescription age aged old older
Effect combination senile depressed delirious prescription medicine
nonprescriptions medicines pharmaceutical pharmaceuticals nonprescriptives
nonprescriptive}
$Volume{T-23,R-23}
$Log{}
Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
Medication Effects and the Elderly
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QUESTION: Can the dullness we see in our mother, who is now in a nursing
home, be due to the medication she is receiving? We saw the nurse give her 5
different pills all at the same time and got to wondering. We hope you can
answer this for us in the paper.
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ANSWER: Yes, unfortunately. Some drugs or drug combinations can cause what
appears to be senility, depression, anxiety, or delirium in the elderly.
Actually, many medications can have an effect on anyone's ability to think,
but these effects are more frequently seen in the elderly since older people
are more susceptible to the action of drugs and they get more prescriptions
than younger individuals. In addition, because many elderly take several
medications for different problems, there may be adverse interactions between
drugs that affect thinking.
Before an elderly patient is diagnosed as having any mental impairment, a
complete evaluation of their medications--including what nonprescription drugs
they use--should be done by their physician. Only medications that are
absolutely necessary should be prescribed. In some patients, the signs of
mental illness or impaired thinking will go away if drug dosages are reduced
or other drugs substituted.
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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.