Psychotropic Medication Use Among Older Adults: What All Nurses Need to Know

Abstract

Psychotropic medications are commonly administered to elderly clients to manage behavior and psychiatric symptoms. These drugs are known to have potentially serious side effects, to which older adults are more vulnerable. Nurses care for older adults in many different practice settings but have varying degrees of knowledge about these kinds of medications. The purposes of this article are to (a) provide information to geriatric nurses in all settings about how the most commonly prescribed psychotropic medications (i.e., anxiolytic, antidepressant, and antipsychotic drugs) differentially affect older adults; (b) examine recent concerns about the use of psychotropic medications with older adults; and (c) discuss nursing implications for those administering psychotropic medications to older adults.

Baixa prevalência do uso de benzodiazepínicos por idosos atendidos em Pelotas (RS)

“…3,4 Medicamentos psicotrópicos são comumente prescritos aos idosos para tratar sintomas de ansiedade, depressão, insônia e, ainda, transtornos comportamentais associados às demências. 5 Os benzodiazepínicos são drogas classificadas como potencialmente inapropriadas aos idosos, segundo os critérios de Beers. 4 Devido à maior susceptibilidade à sedação excessiva e comprometimento psicomotor, idosos em uso destas drogas têm maior risco de acidentes, quedas e fraturas.…”

Spiritual reminiscence therapy for older people with loneliness, anxiety and depression living in a residential aged care facility, Malaysia: The effectiveness and older people’s experiences

“…Older people themselves may also under-rate symptoms of loneliness, anxiety and depression, leading to a missed diagnosis (Barg et al, 2006). Although pharmacological intervention has been found to be effective for older people with anxiety and depression, this treatment may not be the best option because it causes various adverse effects (Coupland et al, 2011) such as risk of falls (Frazer, Christensen, & Griffiths, 2005) and risk of orthostatic hypotension associated with factures (Lindsey, 2009). Further, loneliness is not a condition that requires pharmacological interventions.…”

“…While medication may be the first preference for health care providers instead of nonpharmacological interventions, there is growing interest with using other modalities due to the adverse effects of medications such as the risk of falls (Frazer et al, 2005;Wolitzky-Taylor et al, 2010) and risk of orthostatic hypotension associated with fractures (Lindsey, 2009). Furthermore, older people showed inadequate responses to antidepressants, including the possibility of medication interactions (Jonsson et al, 2016).…”

“…Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and monoamine oxidase inhibitors were all found effective in comparison to placebos when treating depression among institutionalised older people (Wilson et al, 2001). Anxiolytic medications such as benzodiazepines are the most common pharmacological treatment for anxiety in older people (Lindsey, 2009). …”

“…Several side effects of pharmacological interventions were highlighted earlier in this chapter. The adverse effects of medications may decrease the quality of life among older people (Lindsey, 2009); however, no prescription is required to conduct RT, and it is a very low-risk intervention.…”