Polypharmacy Articles

Articles

  • Are more men seeking help for erectile dysfunction? A time trend analysis.

    Sildenafil and tadalafil are recommended first line treatment for Erectile Dysfunction (ED). Sildenafil was legally reclassified to a 'pharmacy' medicine in the United Kingdom in 2018.

    To assess the prescribing patterns and costs associated with prescribing of ED drugs in England and to investigate the link between prescribing and deprivation, regional demography and legal reclassification.

    Published December 11, 2020
  • Comorbidities, Age, and Polypharmacy Limit the Use by US Older Adults with Nocturia of the Only FDA-approved Drugs for the Symptom.

    The goal of this study was to determine if the US adult population with nocturia (waking from sleep at night to void) can easily take medications (desmopressin acetate) approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for nocturia.

    Published December 6, 2020
  • Contemporary use of prescription medications for neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction.

    First-line treatment for patients with neurogenic detrusor overactivity (NDO) is anticholinergic or beta-3 agonist medication. The addition of a secondary medication in patients with NDO may avoid progression to third- and fourth-line therapies.

    Published April 26, 2020
  • Drug-drug interaction potential among patients with nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC) treated with novel androgen receptor inhibitors.

    Nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC) patients are often older and use concurrent medications that increase the potential for drug-drug interactions (pDDIs). This study assessed pDDI prevalence in real-world nmCRPC patients treated with apalutamide, darolutamide, or enzalutamide.

    Published March 14, 2024
  • Drug-drug interactions in older patients with cancer: a report from the 15th Conference of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology, Prague, Czech Republic, November 2015.

    Drugs taken for cancer can interact with each other, with agents taken as part of supportive care, with drugs taken for comorbid conditions (which are particularly common in the elderly patients), and with herbal supplements and complementary medicines.

    Published January 31, 2016
  • Drug-Drug Interactions in Prostate Cancer Treatment.

    Polypharmacy is associated with an increased risk of drug-drug interactions (DDIs), which can cause serious and debilitating drug-induced adverse events. With a steadily aging population and associated increasing multimorbidity and polypharmacy, the potential for DDIs becomes considerably important.

    Published November 6, 2019
  • Insights from the AQUA Registry: a retrospective study of anticholinergic polypharmacy in the United States.

    Anticholinergic (ACH) burden is a risk factor for negative health outcomes among older adults. Several medications contribute to ACH burden, including antimuscarinics used to manage overactive bladder (OAB).

    Published January 29, 2023
  • Nocturia and its clinical implications in older women.

    The aim of this study is to demonstrate the relationship between nocturia and geriatric syndromes, and comprehensive geriatric assessment parameters (CGA) in older women. 858 older outpatient women were included in this cross-sectional study.

    Published August 11, 2019
  • Prevalence of anticholinergic burden and risk factors amongst the older population: analysis of insurance claims data of Korean patients.

    Background Despite growing interest in the negative clinical outcomes of multiple anticholinergic use, limited studies have evaluated anticholinergic burden in the geriatric population nationally. Objective To evaluate the prevalence of high anticholinergic burden using the newly developed Korean Anticholinergic Burden Scale in comparison with previous tools and to identify associated factors.

    Published April 15, 2020
  • Psychotropic Medication Use During Inpatient Rehabilitation for Traumatic Brain Injury.

    To describe psychotropic medication administration patterns during inpatient rehabilitation for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their relation to patient preinjury and injury characteristics.

    Prospective observational cohort.

    Multiple acute inpatient rehabilitation units or hospitals.

    Individuals with TBI (N=2130; complicated mild, moderate, or severe) admitted for inpatient rehabilitation.

    Not applicable.

    Not applicable.

    Most frequently administered were narcotic analgesics (72% of sample), followed by antidepressants (67%), anticonvulsants (47%), anxiolytics (33%), hypnotics (30%), stimulants (28%), antipsychotics (25%), antiparkinson agents (25%), and miscellaneous psychotropics (18%). The psychotropic agents studied were administered to 95% of the sample, with 8.5% receiving only 1 and 31.8% receiving ≥6. Degree of psychotropic medication administration varied widely between sites. Univariate analyses indicated younger patients were more likely to receive anxiolytics, antidepressants, antiparkinson agents, stimulants, antipsychotics, and narcotic analgesics, whereas those older were more likely to receive anticonvulsants and miscellaneous psychotropics. Men were more likely to receive antipsychotics. All medication classes were less likely administered to Asians and more likely administered to those with more severe functional impairment. Use of anticonvulsants was associated with having seizures at some point during acute care or rehabilitation stays. Narcotic analgesics were more likely for those with history of drug abuse, history of anxiety and depression (premorbid or during acute care), and severe pain during rehabilitation. Psychotropic medication administration increased rather than decreased during the course of inpatient rehabilitation in each of the medication categories except for narcotics. This observation was also true for medication administration within admission functional levels (defined by cognitive FIM scores), except for those with higher admission FIM cognitive scores.

    Many psychotropic medications are used during inpatient rehabilitation. In general, lower admission FIM cognitive score groups were administered more of the medications under investigation compared with those with higher cognitive function at admission. Considerable site variation existed regarding medications administered. The current investigation provides baseline data for future studies of effectiveness.

    Published July 28, 2015
  • The Characterization of Non-oncologic Chronic Drug Therapy in Bladder Cancer Patients and the Impact on Recurrence-Free and Cancer-Specific Survival: A Prospective Study.

    We aimed to characterize non-oncologic chronic drug therapy of bladder cancer (BC) patients and evaluate a possible impact on recurrence-free (RFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). Patients with a first diagnosis (FD) of BC or radical cystectomy (RC) were included in a prospective, monocentric, observational study.

    Published November 15, 2023
  • The Problem of Polypharmacy in Female Patients with Overactive Bladders - Cross-Sectional Study in a Specialist Outpatient Department.

    Background: The consumption of certain drugs can cause urinary incontinence. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of consumption of drugs that can favour incontinence, the incidence of polypharmacy and the incidence of potentially dangerous drug-drug interactions in female patients suffering from overactive bladder (OAB) who presented to a urogynaecological outpatient department.

    Published February 6, 2017
  • The role of prescription drugs in female overactive bladder syndrome-A population-wide cohort study.

    Overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome has severe effects on quality of life. Certain drugs are known risk factors for OAB but have not been investigated in a population-wide cohort. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of prescription drugs in the etiology of the OAB.

    Published December 26, 2019