Medication use and polypharmacy in Alzheimer’s disease

Commonly reported drugs that are associated with the cause of potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) include dementia-related treatments, such as sedatives and hypnotics, antipsychotics, and antidepressants.² However, medications used to treat comorbidities of dementia have also been associated with PIPs, including cardiovascular drugs and anti-hypertensives, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antiacid drugs, laxatives, antihistamine drugs, diabetes drugs, anti-incontinence drugs including anti-muscarinic drugs, analgesic drugs (including opioids), antibiotic drugs, and antiepileptic drugs.² Identifying the comorbidities driving risk of PIP may allow targeted interventions to reduce PIP in individuals living with dementia.²

Reference:
1.Hamilton HJ, Gallagher PF, O’Mahony D. Inappropriate prescribing and adverse drug events in older people. BMC Geriatr 2009;9:1–4.

2.Delgado J, Bowman K, Clare L. Potentially inappropriate prescribing in dementia: a state-of-the-art review since 2007. BMJ Open 2020; 10 (1): e029172.