Are High-Risk Anticholinergic Medicines Prescribed Too Often for Older Adults?

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society analyzed how often healthcare providers prescribe potentially inappropriate medications such as anticholinergics in light of recommendations from the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Beers Criteria, reports EurekAlert . The researchers used data from the 2006-2015 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, examining visits for people aged 65 or older. They concentrated on the 35 anticholinergics that healthcare professionals are advised to avoid for older adults, including antidepressants, medications used to treat overactive bladder and Parkinson's disease, antihistamines, muscle relaxants, and treatments for people with chronic muscle spasms. Between 2006 and 2015, 6.2 percent of older adult visits to a doctor led to a prescription for a "high-risk" anticholinergic. Older women who had more than two chronic conditions also were most likely to be prescribed potentially inappropriate anticholinergics. They were most often given a diagnosis of overactive bladder or urinary incontinence, nerve pain, dizziness, or motion sickness. The trend for prescribing these drugs had declined by about 2 percent between 2008/2009 and 2014/2015. The findings suggest future research should be performed to help create better care practices to reduce the use of high-risk anticholinergic prescriptions for older adults.