Deprescribing with Confidence Dr Sanjay Suman MD FRCP Clinical Director Elderly Care and Stroke Medway NHS Foundation Trust Kent
45% of all medications prescribed for 65 years 1 1. Wynne et al Maturitas 2010;246-50
What is Deprescribing? Process Required for the safe and effective cessation of inappropriate medication Taking into account Patient s physical functioning co-morbidities preferences lifestyle DTB 52:2014
Context Polypharmacy Causative factors Adverse outcomes Medication Review Deprescribing / Rational prescribing
Context Increasing prevalence of multimorbidity NICE Guidance (ng 56) 2016 >50% of 85 years + 3 Long Term conditions Melzer D et al. Age Ageing 2014;ageing.afu113 Year Lifestyle Diseases commonest in the list of multimorbidities
Dementia Public Health England Dementia: Applying All Our Health Updated 23 January 2018
Multimorbidity: NICE Guidance (ng 56) 2016 Treatment Burden -Multiple appointments -Polypharmacy Maybe due to Focus on Primary Prevention Single health condition guidelines Based on Trials that recruit individuals Without multimorbidity Who take fewer medications
Case Study 85 years old Male PMH Hypertension, OA, T2DM, CKD Complaints Dizziness Diarrhoea Weight loss Episodic confusion Medications Ramipril 5 mg od Atorvastatin 10 mg od Doxazosin 2 mg od Metformin 1 gm bd Gliclazide 80 mg bd Tramadol 25mg PRN
Polypharmacy Historical Definition: Prescription 4 / 5 drugs No. of medications 4 9 10 60-69 Yrs 28.9% 7.4% 80 Yrs 51.8% 18.6% Prevalence of Polypharmacy in a Scottish Primary care Population Payne et al. Eur J Cl Pharmacol 2004;991-1001
Polypharmacy Current Take on understanding the issue Appropriate Inappropriate Established co-morbidities Risk outweighs benefit Shared Goals Drug class duplication Effective & tolerated Co-prescribing drugs with potential interactions Spinewine A et al. Lancet 2007;370(9582): 173-84 Hanlon JT et al. JAGS. 2001;49: 200-9. Fisk D et al. Arch Intern Med. 2003;163: 2716-2724. Steinman et al. JAGS. 2006;54:1516-23 Omission of medications that are -effective -well tolerated -for established indications highly inappropriate
Multiple Prescribers / Silo prescribing Single Health Condition: narrow focus
Prescribing Cascade Adverse effects of a medication Treated with prescription of another drug Any new symptom maybe adverse drug effect: STOP, THINK
Adverse Drug Events (ADE s) Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR s) Noxious Unintended Undesired effects Medication Errors Prescribing Dispensing Administering
ADE s: Contributing Factors Drug Related Complex regimes Narrow therapeutic index drugs 60% Patient Related Living alone Cognitive impairment Physical frailty Poor vision/ Dexterity Poor compliance Clinician Related Inappropriate prescribing Failure to: -adjust Dose -monitor - analyse risk V benefit NPS MEDICINEWISE Sep 2013 Based on data: Roughead EE et al 2004; 13:83-7
ADE s: Impact Account for 6.5 % of hospital admissions 1 50% of Hospital Admissions due to Adverse Drug Effects are preventable Case fatality for those admitted to hospital: 4.7%² 70% of these are in individuals > 70 years old and on 5 medications Cost to NHS 466 million / annum³ ¹Medicines optimisation: www.rpharms.com/promoting-pharms-pdfs ²Wu et al JR Soc Med. 2010;103(6):239-50 ³Pirmohamed et al BMJ 2004; 329: 15-19 Scottish Government Polypharmacy Model of Care Group. Polypharmacy Guidance, Realistic Prescribing 3rd Edition, 2018. Scottish Governmen
ADE s: Polypharmacy contributes strongly Drug-Drug interactions Errors in dispensing Non- adherence Risk of overdose Fermer RE, Arenson JK. BMJ 2006; 333:143-5
Age related changes risk of ADR s ADR s Pharmacokinetics How the body handles drugs Pharmacodynamics How the drug affects the body
Effect of ageing on Pharmacokinetics Physiological Change Effect Drugs most affected Absorption ph & motility absorption Iron, Calcium Distribution body fat Body water Elimination half life Serum level Benzodiazepines Morphine Digoxin, Lithium, Theophylline Metabolism hepatic mass, blood flow first pass metabolism Serum level Propranolol, GTN, Lisinopril, Oxycodone, Atorvastatin Renal excretion GFR Serum level Digoxin, Lithium, Gentamicin, ACEi How the body handles drugs
Prevalence (%) Prevalence of CKD with age 50 40 30 CKD stage Stage 4 Stage 3 Stage 2 Stage 1 20 10 0 20 39 40 59 60 69 70+ Prevalence of CKD by age group How the body handles drugs Anderson S et al. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2009;20:1199 1209.
Ageing enhances susceptibility to ADR s Impairment Drug class Adverse outcome Cholinergic activity Drugs acting on *CNS Delirium Cognitive impairment Falls Baroreceptor reflex Vasodilators Postural hypotension Falls How the drug affects the body *CNS: Central Nervous System
Common ADR s in frail individuals Falls Hypoglycaemia ADR s Delirium Dehydration Electrolyte imbalance Acute Kidney Injury
High risk medications: Falls Sedation/Drowsiness Antidepressants Antipsychotics Hypnotics Antihistamines Opiates Impaired Postural Stability Hypnotics (Z drugs) Benzodiazepines Anti-epileptics Postural Hypotension Diuretics Alpha-blockers Beta blockers Ace-inhibitors Nitrates Parkinson s disease medications
Baroreceptor reflex maintains BP Vasoconstriction + Heart rate Blood Pressure Restored Postural Hypotension X X Age related Impaired baroreceptor reflex enhances the ADR s of cardiovascular drugs Vasodilators β blockers
Orthostatic Hypotension (OH) OH Definition A drop of 20 mmhg in systolic or 10 mmhg in diastolic after 3 minutes of standing Important Causes Medications Autonomic failure Fluid depletion
Management of OH Stop the offending medication Alpha blockers (Doxazosin, Tamsulosin) Diuretics ACE-inhibitors Nitrates General Measures Fluid intake (1.5-2.0L) Increase salt intake (2-10g) if not contraindicated Adopt strategic getting up strategy Lie propped up at night with a head up tilt 15-20 degrees (pillow height 20-30 cm) Full length Gr 2-3 compression hosiery, Lower Limbs Pharmacological (usually initiated by specialists) Fludrocortisone 100-200 microgram / d Midodrine 2.5-10 mg tds ESC 2009, Eur Heart J 2009; 30: 2631-71
ADR s: Cognition Benzodiazepine exposure is associated with increased risk of Alzheimer s Greater the length of exposure, stronger the risk
Estimating the anticholinergic burden
Lists commonly used drugs with anticholinergic properties Grades each drug with a score 1= Possible anticholinergic 2= Definite anticholinergic 3= Definite anticholinergic Each 1 point score risk of Cognitive impairment by 46% (over 6 years) Death by 26%
Benzodiazepines and hypnotics safety Kripke DF, Langer RD, Kline LE. BMJ Open. 2012;2:e000850.
Benzodiazepines and hypnotics safety Which policies were effective?
Opiate potency compared to morphine Highly addictive 1/3 rd of opiate related deaths in US linked to prescribed opiates Common side effects in elderly include falls, constipation, delirium
Incident rate ratio Hypoglycaemia risk in elderly Diabetics with Renal impairment 1,2 In elderly people (>70 years) hypoglycaemia occurs more frequently in subjects with CKD stages 3 5 1 With CKD Without CKD 1. Haneda M, Morikawa A. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2009; 24:338 341. 2. Adapted from Moen M et al. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2009; 4:1121 1127.
CKD Cautions with Diabetes treatment 60 45 30
HbA1C Targets according to functional & cognitive status Functional/Cognitive Status HbA1C (%) HbA1C (mmol/mol) Functionally independent 7.0-7.5 53-59 Functionally dependent 7.0-8.0 53-64 Frail Up-to 8.5 70 Dementia Up-to 8.5 70
Case Study Mr D, 85 years PMH Hypertension, OA, T2DM, CKD Complaints Dizziness Diarrhoea Weight loss Episodic confusion Medications Ramipril 5 mg od Atorvastatin 10 mg od Doxazosin 2 mg od Metformin 1 gm bd Gliclazide 80 mg bd Tramadol 50mg PRN Examination Weight 48 Kg, BMI 17 BP Lying 110 / 70, standing 80 /60 HR 60 regular, Gait: unsteady Recent Blood tests HbA1C 43, egfr40
Case Study Mr D, 85 years old 2 Falls in last 3 months What will you do next? o Stop Doxazosin o Stop Gliclazide o Reduce Metformin dose o Reduce Ramipril dose o All of the above Medications Ramipril 5 mg od Atorvastatin 10 mg od Doxazosin 2 mg od Metformin 1 gm bd Gliclazide 80 mg bd Tramadol 50mg PRN Examination Weight 48 Kg, BMI 17 BP Lying 110 / 70, standing 80 /60 HR 60 regular, Gait: unsteady Recent Blood tests HbA1C 43, egfr40
I feel a lot better since I ran out of those pills you gave me
Types and Levels of Medication Review Level 3 Clinical Medication Review Level 2 Treatment review Increasing Frailty severity status Multimorbidity Numbers of medications Suspected ADR s Falls Delirium End of Life Level 1 Prescription Review
Medication Review Process leading to Deprescribing Assess Monitor Define goal Stop Reduce Replace Drugs: critical analysis Risk Vs benefit for each drug
How often should medication review take place? Opportunistically 6 monthly if on 4 drugs Annually for all >75 years old General Practice Contract Requirement 2017/18 MARCH 2017
Practice Based Clinical Pharmacists Important Role in managing long term health conditions Inappropriate polypharmacy reduction Medicine Reconciliation
Tools for Polypharmacy reduction Beer s Criteria List 53 potentially inappropriate medications Endorsed by American Geriatrics Society 2012 STOPP / START Criteria Validated and relevant for UK population Endorsed by British Geriatrics Society Guidelines.co.uk/NiceMedOpt
Case 2: Mrs J, 81 requests appointment (3 rd in 4 months) PMH: Hypertension, Hypothyroidism Present History Previous 2 GP contacts for constipation still a problem + tired all the times, mobility Consent obtained from Patient for picture to be used for educational presentation Medications Co-Codamol 2 tabs qds Atenolol 50 mg od Simvastatin 40 mg od Levothyroxine 100 mcg od Laxido & Senna not helping
Case 2: Mrs J, 81 requests appointment (3 rd in 4 months) What will you do next o Try another laxative o Stop Co-Codamol o Check Thyroid Function o Reassure and follow up PMH: Hypertension, Hypothyroidism Present History Previous 2 GP contacts for constipation still a problem + tired all the times, mobility Medications Co-Codamol 2 tabs qds Atenolol 50 mg od Simvastatin 40 mg od Levothyroxine 100 mcg od Laxido & Senna not helping
Case 2: Mrs J has not been taking her Thyroxine as prescribed Constipation Tiredness Reduced Mobility TSH 65 mu/l Coarse facial features Receding hairline Loss of outer 1/3 rd of eyebrows
Prescribing for elderly: Considerations Any new symptom maybe adverse drug effect: STOP, THINK Non pharmacological measures remain underutilised Start low, go slow but use enough Life expectancy, functional and cognitive status play a role in shared decision making Quality of life matters most to people
Prescribing for elderly: Considerations Focus on common medications NSAID Proton Pump Inhibitors Opiates Hypnotics Benzodiazepines Antipsychotics (for behavioural and psychological symptoms in Dementia) Diuretics for leg oedema Antihypertensives Oral Hypoglycaemic agents Are any medications not being prescribed that need to be? Examples: Osteoporosis Anticoagulation in Atrial fibrillation
Prescribing for elderly: Considerations
Holistic Approach Guideline Medicine Care & Support Planning Single LTC Standardised Care Multimorbidity Frailty Personalised Care
Assessment for frailty / individuals approaching end of life Individualised Management plan Personal goals optimisation plans Advance care plan Psychological Social Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Functional Medical Multimorbidity: NICE Guidance (ng 56) 2016
Conclusions Inappropriate prescribing runs risk of adverse effects particularly for frail elderly Establish local systems for regular medication reviews leading to rational prescribing for elderly / people with multimorbidity and frailty
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