Researchers say painkillers are the most frequent potentially inappropriate medications that older persons abuse despite their adverse health outcomes.
In a study, researchers said that benzodiazepines (24.2 per cent) were the second inappropriately used medications after the use of painkillers such as diclofenac and ibuprofen.
The cross sectional study of 400 older patients said at least 31 per cent use potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) and of these patients 81.5 per cent used at least one of all these medications.
These were older persons aged 60 years and beyond who attended Chief Tony Anenih Geriatric Centre, University College Hospital, Ibadan between July and September 2016 with the majority (81.5 per cent) using one PIM, while (17.7 per cent) used two PIMs and (0.8 per cent) 3 PIMs.
PIMs include medications that cause interactions with drug and diseases, interactions with drug and syndrome, drugs that may aggravate disease or syndrome and medications to be used with caution in older persons.
The researchers said in all, 1484 medications were used by the participants in the study and that antihypertensives (34.7 per cent) are the commonest medications used followed by blood builders drugs or haematinics (11. 9per cent).
The 2018 study published in the journal, Pharmacy Practice, involved Wuraola Akande-Sholabi, Lawrence. A. Adebusoye and Olufemi. O. Olowookere.
The researchers reported that PIMs use was common among older persons who were not currently married, had formal education, retired from occupation, living with others and had more than five children alive. Its use also was significantly associated with being self-supporting financially.
According to the researchers, a higher proportion of the older persons that rated their health status better than their age-counterparts significantly used PIMs as compared with those who rated their health status same as their age-counterparts.
They declared, “this might be suggestive of the necessity for the reevaluation of the implemented pain management strategies. Benzodiazepines use in older persons as a sleep aid have been identified in many studies as a common potential problem.
“Long term use of these medications are contraindicated in older persons and considered as potentially inappropriate medications.
“An interdisciplinary approach, of medication review by pharmacists’, working with physicians may improve prescribing practices among older persons. Therefore, it is necessary to create public health awareness on the use of PIMs among older persons.”
Inappropriate prescribing in the older population is considered a key public health problem because of its direct relationship to ill health, dying and consumption of health resources.
Older patients are more predisposed to significant ill health and death due to inappropriate prescribing than the younger persons for numerous reasons, including poorer health status.