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The Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults, commonly called the Beers List, [1] are guidelines published by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) for healthcare professionals to help improve the safety of prescribing medications for adults 65 years and older in all except palliative settings.
[6] [21] The long-term effects of benzodiazepines may differ from the adverse effects seen after acute administration of benzodiazepines. [22] An analysis of cancer patients found that those who took tranquillisers or sleeping tablets had a substantially poorer quality of life on all measurements conducted, as well as a worse clinical picture ...
Lorazepam's effects are dose-dependent, meaning the higher the dose, the stronger the effects (and side effects) will be. Using the smallest dose needed to achieve desired effects lessens the risk of adverse effects. Sedative drugs and sleeping pills, including lorazepam, have been associated with an increased risk of death. [60]
The high potency benzodiazepines alprazolam and triazolam and long-acting benzodiazepines are not recommended in the elderly due to increased adverse effects. Nonbenzodiazepines such as zaleplon and zolpidem and low doses of sedating antidepressants are sometimes used as alternatives to benzodiazepines.
Improved reaction times were noted at 52 weeks in elderly patients free from benzodiazepines. This is an important function in the elderly, especially if they drive a car due to the increased risk of road traffic accidents in benzodiazepine users. [136] At the 24-week follow-up, 80% of people had successfully withdrawn from benzodiazepines.
The central nervous system-depressant effects of benzodiazepines may make driving or operating machinery dangerous, and the elderly are more prone to these adverse effects. High single doses or repeated low doses have been reported to produce hypotonia , poor sucking, and hypothermia in the neonate , and irregularities in the fetal heart.
Medical observation and supportive care are the mainstay of treatment of benzodiazepine overdose. [16] Although benzodiazepines are absorbed by activated charcoal, [44] gastric decontamination with activated charcoal is not beneficial in pure benzodiazepine overdose as the risk of adverse effects would outweigh any potential benefit from the ...
Variation in potency of certain effects may exist amongst individual benzodiazepines. Some benzodiazepines produce active metabolites . Active metabolites are produced when a person's body metabolizes the drug into compounds that share a similar pharmacological profile to the parent compound and thus are relevant when calculating how long the ...