The Professional Geriatric Care Manager’s Blog

Reversible Dementia?

Many people do not realize that frequently the older adult population have a reversible form of dementia caused by prescription drugs.  The elderly become more susceptible to drug-induced dementia and delirium with age and doctors frequently overlook the fact that the condition may be caused by drugs and therefore may be reversible, simply by discontinuing the medication.  Elders who are suffering from some cognitive impairment are most susceptible .

Older adults are more susceptible to drug-induced delerium and dementia because the body’s ability to process and rid itself of drugs decreases with age.  This is frequently due to normal age-related changes in liver and kidney function.  Additionally many elders see multiple doctors who prescribe multiple medications at the same time resulting in complicated drug interactions and increased side effects.  The elderly patients’ brains may be more susceptible to the medications’ effect on the central nervous system.

Drug safety experts at Public Citizen have identified 136 commonly prescribed prescription medications, especially certain antidepressants and pain medications, which can cause difficulty thinking.

Frequently drug-induced dementia and delirium are attributed to underlying medical conditions or to normal age related changes.  For the elderly that are suffering from drug-induced dementia or delirium return to mental clarity can be a simple modification to dosages or discontinuation of these numerous frequently prescribed medications.

Sydney Wolfe, MD, acting Public Citizen president says, “after beginning new drugs, doctors, patients and their families should watch for changes in cognition and assume the changes may be caused by the drug therapy.”

Our nurses at Distinctive Care always perform a thorough assessment of all the medications our Clients are taking, checking for interactions and medications whose side effects could be causing changes in condition.  When our Clients are placed on new medications we monitor them closely for any changes in cognition or increased difficulty performing normal tasks.

For those of you who do not have Geriatric Care Managers monitoring your care, the staff of Distinctive Care encourage you to bring a complete list of all medications prescribed by all your doctors to your primary care physician for a medication regime review.