JS is a 76 year old female who was having an increase in sleepiness. Her neighbor recently stopped by and found very sedated and difficult to arouse. She was almost “passed out”. An ambulance was called and she was taken to the ER. Her current...
Drug induced dementia can and does happen, and it is important to make sure that we assess multiple factors before adding more medications! Here’s the scenario: An 81 year old male presents with worsening confusion over the period of about 3-6 months. The...
A 74 year old female is diagnosed with new onset seizures. She is initiated on Depakote 250 mg twice daily and titrated up to a dose of 1,000 mg twice daily. About 1-2 months following titration, she begins to experience increasing confusion and family begin to be...
Pain management is often very challenging. Patients differ from one another. One medication may totally take away the pain for one patient, while that same medication might not even touch the next patient’s pain. The type of pain is obviously an important...
Pain management in the elderly is something I deal with on a daily basis. It can be extremely challenging as there are potential negatives of using medications around every corner. Here’s a case that highlights a few challenges: 88 year old male with a history...
An 87-year-old female is having difficulty with tingling and burning in her feet. She is diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy. Her current medications include: Hydrochlorothiazide Metformin Glipizide Tylenol as needed Lisinopril Aspirin The primary provider orders...
