MDedge
COMMENTARY
Linda Girgis
DISCLOSURES | August 30, 2024
Linda Girgis, MD
Primary care physicians know the complexities of treating older patients, from increased complications from medications and procedures to comorbidities stemming from having multiple medical conditions. The Beers Criteria were established by the American Geriatrics Society as a guide for physicians about medications that may possess more risks than benefits in older patients, specifically those aged 65 years and older.
There are approximately 100 medications on the list. Criteria used to establish the list include medications to avoid over the age of 65 in an outpatient setting, medications to avoid in certain medical conditions, medications to avoid that may interact with other medications, medications to avoid with renal impairment, and medications to avoid where harmful side effects outweigh the possible benefits. The American Geriatrics Society updates the list as new published evidence becomes available.
The latest updates to the Beers Criteria include several medications commonly used in primary care. Regarding anticoagulation, warfarin should be avoided as initial therapy and apixaban should be used in patients with reduced renal function. These guidelines looked particularly at antithrombotic medications because of new evidence arising in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolism. In addition to the previous recommendations, the use of aspirin is no longer recommended in older adults.
The latest guidelines also make recommendations regarding certain diabetic medications as well as combinations to avoid. The Beers Criteria now place all sulfonylureas in the class to avoid, and not just the long-acting formulations as was recommended in the previous guidelines. If a sulfonylurea is necessary, use of a short-acting one is advised. Several other classes of medications were addressed and doctors practicing primary care medicine should be aware of these guidelines, especially as the population continues to age.
Overall, these guidelines are a great resource for treating patients aged 65 and older. It is important to keep in mind that they look at a whole population of patients and it is not patient specific. As primary care doctors, we know many of our patients don’t fit into the textbook box. While these guidelines consider the dangers of a certain medication, sometimes the benefits do outweigh the risks at the patient-specific level.
As doctors, we are trained to weigh the risks and benefits when prescribing any medication to our patients. These guidelines shouldn’t be approached as a do or don’t list but should be considered in the overall plan when prescribing for our patients. Sometimes, these medications can be used with careful observation by the prescribing physician. When they are utilized, we need to make the patient aware of specific side effects and what to watch out for. We need to make these decisions together with our patients and their caregivers.
For example, we all know how agonizing taking care of an older dementia patient can be, and sometimes there is nothing left to try except one of the medications on the list.
An additional practical point not considered in the guidelines is real-world use. Often, certain medications are not covered by a patient’s insurance company. The cost can be prohibitive to use the recommended agent. We are left in the middle to go off script with a medication that the patient may be able to access easily or keep pushing for the most appropriate medication for the patient. Unfortunately, in our current healthcare climate, prior authorizations can sometimes take weeks to obtain (or to be denied). For most of the conditions we treat in our older patients, it is not safe to leave them without any medication while we fight this prior authorizations war.
Our older patients often have multiple specialists as well. Each of these specialists may be prescribing different medications. It is imperative that we know all the medications a patient is taking so that we may look for potentially dangerous drug interactions. Many patients don’t remember the names of all their medications, nor do they realize that many classes of medications are “little white pills.” Asking them to bring their pill bottles to every visit can be a great help in searching out interactions.
That being said, the Beers Criteria do an excellent job reviewing the latest evidence and developing guidelines. As primary care physicians, we have never been busier and having someone do the research and set it forth so clearly is a great tool. We should be aware of the Beers Criteria and the medications and interactions listed there.
Dr. Girgis practices family medicine in South River, New Jersey, and is a clinical assistant professor of family medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey. She has no conflicts of interest.
This article originally appeared on MDedge.com, part of the Medscape Professional Network.
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