BCG Pharmacology & Medication Management in Older Adults Flashcards

Which physiological change in older adults most significantly slows drug metabolism?

Answer: Reduced hepatic blood flow and enzyme activity

Reduced hepatic blood flow and cytochrome P450 enzyme activity in older adults significantly prolongs the half-life of many drugs.

The Beers Criteria is used in gerontological practice primarily to:

Answer: Identify potentially inappropriate medications for older adults

The AGS Beers Criteria lists medications considered potentially inappropriate for older adults due to elevated risk of adverse effects.

An 80-year-old patient's creatinine is 1.0 mg/dL. What does this value indicate in the context of renal drug dosing?

Answer: Potentially significant renal impairment despite a 'normal' lab value

Because muscle mass declines with age, serum creatinine can appear normal even when GFR is substantially reduced, so estimated GFR should always be calculated.

Which drug class is most commonly associated with falls in older adults due to its central nervous system effects?

Answer: Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines cause sedation, impaired balance, and slowed reflexes, making them a leading pharmacological contributor to falls in older adults.

Polypharmacy in older adults is generally defined as the concurrent use of how many or more medications?

Answer: 5

Polypharmacy is conventionally defined as the use of five or more medications simultaneously, which is common and associated with adverse drug events in older adults.

Which of the following best describes the prescribing cascade?

Answer: Prescribing a new drug to treat side effects of an existing drug, which are misidentified as a new condition

A prescribing cascade occurs when an adverse drug reaction is misdiagnosed as a new condition, leading to the addition of another medication.