Category: Medication

Many times I’ve written about the over-medication of the elderly – especially with anti-psychotics. Despite the fact that anti-psychotics are supposedly only for a small percentage of the elderly, many nursing home residents with dementia are given these drugs even though some have FDA warnings of an increased risk of death. This overuse of anti-psychotics was confirmed in a recent government audit.

According to The Wall Street Journal, new study published in Archives of Neurology, “showed that about half of elderly Parkinson’s patients with psychosis were prescribed an antipsychotic.” This is despite the fact that in 2005, the FDA issued a “black box” warning to antipsychotics due to an increase in risk of death in older dementia patients. “Black box” warnings are the strongest warnings given by the FDA and are placed on drugs where medical studies indicate that a drug carries a significant risk of serious or life threatening adverse effects.

It has been reported in Forbes Magazine that Johnson & Johnson has set funds aside for potential litigation relating to a probe which addresses whether or not the drug company engaged in illegal practices to promote this drug in nursing homes. Sadly, its use or over-use can be lethal for the elderly and vulnerable residents in nursing homes.

The Triad Group has initiated a voluntary recall for several of their products, including alcohol prep pads, alcohol swabs and alcohol swabsticks. The recall includes sterile and non-sterile products produced by Triad Group and was initiated due to concerns from a customer about potential contamination. The products are thought to contain an objectionable organism, Bacillus cereus. The Triad Group is issuing the recall in order to ensure that they are not the source of the contamination issues.

Although psychotropic drugs are often used to control behavioral symptoms in nursing-home residents, recent data points out that these drugs are given to close to 2/3 of the dementia patients currently residing in nursing homes across the country and have devastating effects. The data states that prolonged use of these drugs leads to a greater risk of adverse effects and even death.