Dementia Diagnosis Linked to Unnecessary Medication Use

A study published in Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences found that medication use increases in people newly diagnosed with dementia, especially the use of unnecessary or inappropriate drugs, reports ScienceDaily . "Our study found that following a diagnosis of dementia in older people, medication use increased by 11 percent in a year and the use of potentially inappropriate medications increased by 17 percent," says Dr. Danijela Gnjidic at the University of Sydney. Potentially inappropriate or unnecessary drugs included sleeping tablets, pain relievers, depression drugs, and acid reflux drugs. "A number of reasons may account for the drugs' long-term use by people with dementia, including inadequate guidelines, lack of time during physician patient encounters, diminished decision-making capacity, difficulties with comprehension and communication, and difficulties in establishing goals of care," Gnjidic notes. "These findings are of major concern and highlight the importance of weighing up the harms and benefits of taking potentially unnecessary medications as they may lead to increased risk of side effects such as sedation or drowsiness, and adverse drug events such as falls, fractures, and hospitalization." Gnjidic recommends Australians living with dementia and their caregivers communicate closely with general practitioners, pharmacists, and other health professionals to make informed decisions and practice good medicine management.