Adverse drug reactions associated with global cognitive impairment in elderly persons

Managing Medications in Clinically Complex Elders

“…Multiple medication use is associated with greater use of inappropriate medications and non-adherence, and imposes substantial cost burdens on older patients even when they have prescription drug insurance 3-5. In addition, the frequency of adverse drug events rises in proportion to the number of medications used, including drug-specific phenomena as well as non-specific syndromes including weight loss, falls, and decline in functional and cognitive status 6-10. Such adverse drug events affect an estimated 5-35% of older patients living in the community per year, and are responsible for approximately 10% of hospital admissions in older adults 11-15…”

Benzodiazepine use and risk of dementia: evidence from the Caerphilly Prospective Study (CaPS)

“…In a review of the evidence, Verdoux et al 11 commented on the ‘discrepant findings’ on the risk of cognitive decline and concluded that ‘the hypothesis that long-term exposure to benzodiazepines may induce permanent brain damage is merely speculative’. A third strain of evidence comes from pharmacological studies that have identified acute adverse cognitive effects of benzodiazepine use in older persons,1 12 which may persist for over 6 months after withdrawal of medication 13. Further evidence is therefore required to establish whether benzodiazepine use has any long-term adverse cognitive implications.…”

Effect of Central Nervous System Medication Use on Decline in Cognition in Community‐Dwelling Older Adults: Findings from the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study

“…CNS-active medications (e.g., benzodiazepines, opioids, tricyclic antidepressants, traditional antipsychotics) are commonly prescribed to older adults and represent a frequent cause of adverse medication effects, including problems with mobility, falls, and cognition in older patients 1–3. Medications that adversely affect cognition in particular lead to increased morbidity and health care utilization among older people 1–3.…”

“…Medications that adversely affect cognition in particular lead to increased morbidity and health care utilization among older people 1–3. More importantly, CNS-medication-induced cognition problems may be reversed by adjusting or discontinuing these medications altogether 2, 4–6…”