by Eric Christianson | Aug 6, 2025 | Polypharmacy Cases And The Prescribing Cascade
Here’s a question that comes up in hospice more than you’d think: Why would a hospice patient be on two antipsychotics at the same time? To the average clinician, this raises immediate concerns—duplication, unnecessary side effects, and polypharmacy in a population...
by Eric Christianson | Jul 16, 2025 | Polypharmacy Cases And The Prescribing Cascade
Counteracting drug effects are all too common in geriatric and polypharmacy patients. I wanted to share common examples that I’ve seen in my practice as a clinical pharmacist. NSAIDs vs. AntihypertensivesCase: A 68-year-old man with hypertension controlled on...
by Eric Christianson | May 14, 2025 | Cardiovascular Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls, Polypharmacy Cases And The Prescribing Cascade
Digoxin is a cardiac glycoside that has a narrow therapeutic window. Because of this, we typically monitor digoxin levels. If levels get too high, we can run into adverse effects. In some cases, particularly geriatric patients, those adverse can be misinterpreted as...
by Eric Christianson | Apr 6, 2025 | Polypharmacy Cases And The Prescribing Cascade
Deprescribing is an important part of care for hospice patients. The main goal of hospice care is to focus on comfort care rather than curative treatments, which means evaluating if a patient’s current medications are still indicated, effective, safe, and convenient....
by Eric Christianson | Nov 26, 2023 | Polypharmacy Cases And The Prescribing Cascade
In this case, I outline a unique situation involving stimulants and elderly patients. I outline some of the potential complications and contributions to the prescribing cascade. A 76-year-old female resides in an assisted living. She has a history of ADHD, anxiety,...
by Eric Christianson | Nov 22, 2023 | Polypharmacy Cases And The Prescribing Cascade
I have had plenty of opportunities in my career to review medications with patients and offer solutions to help reduce their pill burden. Keeping track of taking all these medications can be a full-time job for some of our patients. It is critical that we try to...
