Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are FDA-approved for various conditions, such as anxiety, mood disorders, insomnia, and seizures. Although they treat a wide range of conditions, there are many safety concerns including increased risk of falls, cognitive impairment, delirium,...
I’ve encountered a significant proportion of patients who are on chronic benzodiazepines. Drug interactions, adverse effects, and other risks to my geriatric patient population are significant when using this class of medication. Benzodiazepine withdrawal is...
Though antipsychotics are generally used for long-term treatment of psychiatric conditions, there are several instances where therapy may be stopped altogether. We outline several practice pearls and clinical considerations when determining if antipsychotic tapering...
JE is a 71-year-old female with a history of Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR), osteoporosis, GERD, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Her current medications include: Alendronate 70 mg weeklyPrednisone 15 mg dailyVitamin D 2,000 units dailyOmeprazole 20 mg dailyLosartan 50...
In this article, I wanted to share information on tapering clonidine. This drug can cause serious rebound hypertension when abruptly discontinued and patients may not understand or realize that this risk exists. Here’s a case scenario that demonstrates tapering...
