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Safety of Psychotropic Drugs in the Elderly

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Pharmacovigilance in Psychiatry

Abstract

The past decades have witnessed an unprecedented phenomenon of global aging with a dramatic rise in the number of individuals above the age of 65 years. Drug therapy is the primary approach to managing chronic disease in older adults. It comes as no surprise that increases in drug therapy have accompanied the rise in the older adult population with chronic conditions. The safety profile of drugs in older adults may differ substantially from that in younger individuals. Older adults, especially more frail individuals, may have significantly altered pharmacokinetics such as decreased renal function and pharmacodynamics which increase the likelihood of adverse drug effects. Inappropriate drug selection can lead to complications in drug therapy. Complications in drug therapy may appear as adverse drug events. In this chapter, we review particular safety concerns with major psychiatric medications used in older adults. We specifically focus on antipsychotics, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and anti-dementia agents.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Division of Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases and Vulnerable Populations, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA

    Kate L. Lapane & Christine Ulbricht

  2. College of Pharmacy, Rhode Island University, Kingston, RI, USA

    Anne Hume

  3. Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA

    Anne Hume

  4. Department of Medical Sciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy

    Giovanni Gambassi

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  1. Kate L. Lapane
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  2. Anne Hume
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  3. Christine Ulbricht
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  4. Giovanni Gambassi
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Correspondence to Kate L. Lapane .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Messina, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Messina, Italy

    Edoardo Spina

  2. University of Messina, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Messina, Italy

    Gianluca Trifirò

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Lapane, K.L., Hume, A., Ulbricht, C., Gambassi, G. (2016). Safety of Psychotropic Drugs in the Elderly. In: Spina, E., Trifirò, G. (eds) Pharmacovigilance in Psychiatry. Adis, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24741-0_14

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