
emDocs - July 3, 2017 - Author: Fontes K - Edited by: Koyfman A & Long B
"Take home points
- Avoid using the serum creatinine value to make decisions about drug dosing in older patients. Use GFR or calculate creatinine clearance (CrCl).
- When prescribing to older adults, minimize the number of CNS medications and their cumulative anticholinergic burden as much as possible.
- Use caution when prescribing new medications to elderly patients already taking antidiabetic agents, calcium channel blockers, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, as drug-drug interactions with these agents can lead to falls and delirium.
- Consider using a validated screening tool to identify and avoid potentially inappropriate medications and drug combinations in older patients (MAI and STOPP/START may be more appropriate to the ED setting)."