U.S. Study Shows Patterns of Prescription Errors for Dementia Therapies to People With Parkinson's

A nationwide U.S. study published in JAMA Neurology found women and Hispanics with Parkinson's are most frequently prescribed inappropriate dementia therapies, reports Parkinson's News Today . University of Pennsylvania scientists reviewed the clinical records of 268,407 Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with Parkinson's who had 12 consecutive months of inpatient, outpatient, and prescription medicine coverage from January to December 2014. Medicare Services data estimated that about 27.2 percent of persons with Parkinson's had filled at least one prescription for a dementia medication in 2014. The most commonly prescribed therapy was Aricept, followed by Namenda and Exelon. Women were 15 percent less likely to use dementia medication than men. African Americans were 38 percent more likely and Hispanics 28 percent more likely to use these therapies than Caucasians. About 66.4 percent of subjects were only prescribed one dementia medicine during the year, while 26.7 percent had prescription fills for both Namenda and an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (ACHEI), typically Aricept or Exelon. "In those with Parkinson disease, who bear additional risks of cognitive impairment and vulnerability to anticholinergic activity, coprescribing of an ACHEI and a high-potency anticholinergic medication can be considered a never event because it is a medication error likely to contribute to disability," the researchers said.