Psychopharmacology concerns in older individuals

Abstract

The geriatric population is continually growing in the United States, and the number of individuals over the age of 65 is expected to double by the year 2050. Changes in the pharmacokinetic profiles of elderly patients make appropriate medication dosing more challenging for health care providers. The Beers Criteria is a validated, consensus-based screening tool to help identify potentially inappropriate medications in geriatric patients. This article reviews recent updates to the Beers Criteria, as well as other screening tools which have been developed for this purpose.