Hello! I have been a doctor for 21 years. My name is Georgy Olegovich Sapego. In this article, I'll tell you about the latest revision of Bierce's list.
Once upon a time there was an American physician Mark Bierce. He was involved in the treatment of the elderly. In 1991, Bierce compiled a list of drugs that are bad for people over 65. Since then, every few years this list has been revised, changed and supplemented. The last version was published in 2019. I will list here a small part of the list. It contains our popular medicines.
First generation antihistamines
This includes Suprastin, Teraflu and a bunch of all sorts of cold remedies. These drugs have anticholinergic effects. In older people, first-generation antihistamines are cleared more slowly.
Everyone noticed that drowsiness rolled over from Suprastin. Many older people use it as a sleeping pill, but quickly get used to the effect, and insomnia worsens. Sometimes the inhibitory effect of antihistamines is so strong that an elderly person begins to behave strangely. Plus, there can be dry mouth, constipation and a bunch of other side effects.
Curantil
This is a medicine that dilates blood vessels. In older people, blood pressure can drop sharply from churantil.
Furadonin
For younger people, this is a good medicine that urologists love. But in the elderly, it has too many different side effects. Especially if an elderly person is not all right with the kidneys, or Furadonin has to be taken for a long time.
Nifedipine
If you use it in the form of simple short-acting tablets, your blood pressure will drop too sharply, and heart problems may begin.
Cerucal
This is a medicine for nausea or heartburn. Even young people get trembling in their fingers. If elderly people take cerucal for several months, then sometimes something in their head can go wrong forever. This complication is called tardive dyskinesia. Involuntary movements of the muscles of the face, tongue, and sometimes even arms, legs and trunk appear. It may not work.
Vaseline oil
A seemingly harmless thing that used to be saved from constipation. Vaseline oil softens intestinal contents because it is not digested or absorbed. For the same reason, if you choke on such a thing, then it will not go anywhere from the lungs, and there will be severe pneumonia. So elderly people are not advised to use it.
Proton pump blockers
We have discussed them a hundred times already. If possible, it is better for older people not to use these drugs for more than two months. Because they can gradually lead to fragility of bones and the development of so-called Clostridial infections. It is an infection that grows better in our stomach if there is little acid in the stomach. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to find other medications, so proton pump blockers cannot just be thrown away.
Indomethacin and Ketanov
These are anti-inflammatory drugs that can easily damage the kidneys, stomach, and increase blood pressure. They are not prescribed at all. Less intrusive anti-inflammatory drugs are not easy either.
Muscle relaxants
Here Sirdalud is more popular here. Some American organizations dealing with the treatment of the elderly say that Sirdalud is possible, but in the very list of Bierce it is not recommended. It slows down like Suprastin, causes urinary retention, and often falls from it.
That's it…
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