Find Similar Books - Psychopharmacological Treatment Complications in the Elderly by CHARLES, ED. SHAMOIAN

Psychopharmacological Treatment Complications in the Elderly

by CHARLES, ED. SHAMOIAN

Summary

Although the elderly comprise only 12% of the general population, they consume 25% of all prescribed medication. For those taking psychotropic medication, the risks of drug-drug interactions are increased. To complicate medication management, many psychotropic drugs are associated with side effects that become less tolerable with age. Consequently, frequent drug monitoring is essential to proper clinical care of the geriatric patient.
This volume will help clinicians determine risk-benefit ratios for psychotropic drug use and make choices about the appropriateness of alternative treatment approaches. Topic areas cover complex clinical situations commonly encountered in the psychiatric treatment of geriatric patients who concomitantly suffer from other medical problems. Respected contributors examine adverse cognitive effects associated with tricyclic antidepressants, cardiac risks of antidepressants, neuroleptic side effects, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, problems associated with long-term use of benzodiazepines, and efficacy and side effects of cholinergic drugs used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.