Question

JP a 93yo female taking the following medications:

Sitagliptin 100mg PO Take 1 QD

Triamterene-hydrochlorothiazide 37.5-25mg PO 1 QD

Vitamin D3 1000 unit capsule Take 1000 units PO daily

Levothyroxine 125 mcg tab Take 1 PO every AM on empty stomach

Aspirin 81mg EC PO Take 1 QD

Benazepril 10mg-20mg daily

Docusate sodium 100 mg Tale 1 PO 2x daily PRN

Doxercalciferol 0.5 mcg Take 1 mcg PO QD

Duloxetine 30mg Take 1 PO QD

Fluphenazine decanoate 25 m/mL inj inject every 14 days

Gabapentin 100mg PO x 3

Glimepiride 4mg every AM before btreakfast

Insulin aspart 100 units/mL inj inject once

Insulin detemir 100 units/mL inject nightly 40 units into skin

Insulin glargine 100 units/mL inject nightly

Melatonin 3 mg take PO nightly

Multivitamin take 2 daily

Nifedipine 30 mg Take 1 tab QD

Polyethylene glycol 17gm take by mouth QD

Simvastatin 20 mg Take 10mg QDS

Considering the patient’s age and BEERs criteria would you recommend stopping any medications due to polypharmacy?

Answer 1

BEERs List is refreed to the list of the drugs, which should not be taken along with each other due to severe side effects and polypharmacy.

Poly pharmacy is the condition, in which the medication becomes inactive or cause adverse effects due to interaction with other medicines.

In this case there are many drugs, which can interact with one another and cause polypharmacy.

For example:

Triamterene-hydrochlorothiazide and Levothyroxine interact with one another and result in severe side effects such as anaemia, chest pain, headache dizziness, etc.

Benazepril ineracts with aspirin as well as Duloxetine, which causes severe neural conditions and other side effects.

So, it is very important in this case to check the medicines and stop the uneccasary ones.