Polypharmacy Essay

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Recommended: Polypharmacy among the elderly

The geriatric population is rapidly growing as individuals continue to benefit from medical advances and pharmaceutical treatments. A large number of this population will need to take some form of medication to maintain a functional lifestyle. Multiple medications can affect the elderly population differently than younger generations. This paper will discuss how polypharmacy impacts geriatrics and the will focus specifically on analgesics and antihistamines. It will also examine demographic factors, changes within the aging body, prescription and nonprescriptive medications, and the role of the nurse practitioner when caring for these patients. Polypharmacy and the Geriatric Population According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the aging population will continue to grow due to the falling fertility rates and the increases in life expectancy. However, this population has distinctive, demographic factors that may influence their adherence to medication necessities. Dynamics that affect medication regimen in the elderly can be related to “memory and cognition (forgetting to take medication), dexterity (unable to open medication or break pills in half), low literacy, concern about side effects …show more content…

“Reduced lean muscle mass by about 20 percent and decreased total body water by 10 to 15 percent, implicate changes in the absorption of many drugs”(Woo & Wynne, 2011, p. 1424).This can result in higher serum concentrations of medications at normal dosages. Body fat stores increases and lipid-soluble drugs have a “higher tendency to accumulate in adipose tissue, resulting in lower serum concentrations and prolonged duration of action due to an increased half-life”(Woo & Wynne, 2011, p. 1424). Decrease albumin levels can lead to higher levels of unbound medication available for metabolism and tissue perfusion, allowing freer circulating

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