A Senior Care Pharmacist's Blog

Important Announcement

2011-03-05T20:56:00.002-05:00

A Senior Care Pharmacist's Blog will soon be moving to our new site- www.medi-sort.com/blog. See you there!

New fall prevention guidelines call for focused medication reviews in all older adults

2011-03-02T08:36:00.003-05:00

Both the American Geriatrics Society and British Geriatrics Society have updated their Clinical Practice Guideline: Prevention of Falls in Older Persons. A major change addresses the need for focused medication reviews. The AGS/BGS Guidelines now recommend a focused medication review for all older adults. This is a change from the previous guidelines that only recommended medication reduction

Concerns over Consumer Reports article on Best Buy Drugs

2011-02-21T07:31:00.003-05:00

In the March issue of Consumer Reports is a report "Best Buy Drugs- many common generics beat brand names." Statistics on direct-to-consumer advertising and information surrounding the requirements of generic makers of brand medications are discussed. For several conditions, brand medications are compared to generic alternatives- sometimes the generic equivalent and sometimes to different

American Geriatrics Society recommends focused medication review for all elderly patients to prevent falls

2011-02-19T14:58:00.007-05:00

The latest practice guidelines to prevent falls in the elderly published by the American Geriatrics Society now recommends a focused medication review for all older patients. Earlier practice guidelines recommended the medication review for patients taking four or more medications. Consider a Board Certified Geriatric Pharmacist for this review. CGP's are uniquely qulaified to provide

Drug Combinations That May Cause Major Drug Interactions Common Among Seniors Who Take Antidepressants, According To Thomson Reuters Research

2011-01-03T11:19:00.001-05:00

More than half of older Americans who were prescribed antidepressants for the first time were already taking a medication that could adversely interact with the antidepressant, according to a new study from Thomson Reuters. For one-fourth of the seniors in the study, these were potentially major drug interactions.The research, published by the American Journal for Geriatric Psychiatry,

New Year Wishes

2010-12-31T04:53:00.004-05:00

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called "Opportunity" and its first chapter is New Year's Day. -Edith Lovejoy PierceMediSort Medication Consultants wishes you and your loved ones a Happy and Healthy New Year!-Brian Wolstenholme, PharmD, CGP, FASCP-Anna Marie Wolstenholme, PharmD, CPh

Medication use and delirium

2010-12-30T19:24:00.001-05:00

One of the 13 Common Geriatric Problems screened by MediSort:Delirium - Delirium is a common indicator or nonspecific symptom of a variety of acute, treatable illnesses, characterized by fluctuating states of consciousness, disorientation, decreased environmental awareness, and behavioral changes. The onset may vary; however, it usually develops rapidly, over a few days or even

Xanodyne agrees to withdraw propoxyphene from the U.S. market

2010-11-24T17:43:00.000-05:00

FDA NEWS RELEASEFor Immediate Release: Nov. 19, 2010Media Inquiries: Karen Riley, 301-796-4674, karen.riley@fda.hhs.govConsumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDAXanodyne agrees to withdraw propoxyphene from the U.S. market Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals Inc. which makes Darvon and Darvocet, the brand version of the prescription pain medication propoxyphene, has agreed to withdraw the medication from the U.S.

MediSort president appointed to ASCP's Advocacy Council

2010-04-21T05:50:00.003-04:00

ASCP President Shelly Spiro announces Advisory Council Appointees, including MediSort president, Brian WolstenholmeThe American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) President Shelly Spiro announced April 15 the establishment of the Advisory Council (AC), ASCP's newest standing leadership committee. The AC is comprised of the ASCP-PAC Board of Trustees, a board liaison, a council of presidents

Medications and Dental Care

2010-04-20T05:22:00.001-04:00

One of the 13 Common Geriatric Problems screened by MediSort:Dental Care - Dental problems can affect the taste of food and make chewing nearly impossible. Some medications can cause dry mouth, inflamed gums, mouth pain, or chewing problems, which may interfere with swallowing and adequate nutritional intake.

Delirium- a common geriatric problem

2010-04-18T10:30:00.004-04:00

Over The Counter Supplements- What's the right dose?

2010-04-12T13:31:00.003-04:00

From Geriatric Pharmacy Intern: Yaneya Armas, PharmD (c).Palm Beach Atlantic University School of PharmacyIt is becoming common practice for physicians to recommend over the counter supplements to their patients when medication therapy, diet, and exercise alone have failed in the management of several disease states. The one thing patients do not know is that to achieve therapeutic concentrations

3 Things to Take With You on the Journey to Good Health

2010-04-08T06:48:00.003-04:00

It’s a road that’s becoming more traveled now, what with all the emphasis on weight and the need to prevent disease. Even so, not many people do it the right way – they know they must take the road the good health, but they don’t know what to pack for the journey ahead. And because of this foresight, they sometimes lose their way or are stranded by the wayside not knowing how to proceed. So if

Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ-10)

2010-03-22T12:06:00.003-04:00

From Geriatric Pharmacy Intern: Yaneya Armas, PharmD (c).Palm Beach Atlantic University School of PharmacyCoQ-10 (Co-enzyme Q10) is a naturally occurring antioxidant that can be found in the cells of the human body. The heart, liver, and kidneys have the highest concentrations. Its antioxidant effects might have potential benefits for cardiovascular as well as non-cardiovascular diseases such as

Resveratrol

2010-03-16T21:21:00.002-04:00

From Geriatric Pharmacy Intern, Yaneya Armas, PharmD(c).Palm Beach Atlantic University School of PharmacyMany alternative medicine products are marketed toward the elderly population to promote health. Resveratrol is one of those products in which animal studies have shown numerous health benefits. This compound is predominantly found in red wine, huckleberries, cranberries, red grapes, and

Lower Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease with Higher Levels of Leptin

2010-02-22T06:31:00.000-05:00

From Geriatric Pharmacy Intern, Wendy Fisher, PharmD (c)Nova Southeastern University Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 50-75% of total dementia cases. The primary risk factors for AD are age greater than 65 and family history. It is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder manifested by cognitive and memory deterioration and impairment of

Age-related macular degeneration

2010-02-05T06:11:00.002-05:00