Prescribing is a well-known term used to describe the act of ordering a treatment, typically a medication to treat a disease or symptom. As a person ages they tend to accumulate what I refer to [...]
Many factors can affect a nursing home resident’s appetite. After review of several acetylcholinesterase inhibitor medications including Exelon (rivastigamine) patches, Aricept (donepezil), and [...]
Ivabradine (Corlanor® – Amgen) is indicated to reduce the risk of hospitalization in patients with stable, symptomatic chronic heart failure with left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 35%, who are [...]
Managing medications in hospice patients can be a difficult task, but it is important to stay focused on providing the highest level of comfort for our patients. Many medications used to treat [...]
Nuedexta® (dextromethorphan hydrobromide and quinidine) was the first medication approved by the FDA for the treatment of pseudobulbar affect (PBA). Pseudobulbar affect is a specific [...]
Before a prescription drug manufacturer can promote a medication for a specific indication they must conduct extensive clinical trials demonstrating safety and effectiveness. The FDA (Food and [...]
A guiding principle in geriatrics is to assume that any symptom in an elderly adult is a drug side effect until proven otherwise. Diabetic patients often experience symptoms of neuropathy, either [...]
Be mindful of orders for ‘PRN’ blood pressure medication; e.g. “clonidine 0.1mg every 6 hours as needed for systolic blood pressure greater than 160.” Remember these are in essence also orders [...]
There are a number of different insulin products available. Toujeo® (Too-Jay-o) is a recent addition to the line of long-acting basal insulin. Toujeo® is the same type of basal insulin [...]
Many adverse drug reactions (ADRs) have signals that can be used to reduce risks to nursing home patients. Some of the laboratory and medication combination signals for detecting ADRs in nursing [...]