Jump to content

Geriatrician looking for technical help for benzodiazepine tapering


[La...]

Recommended Posts

This blog is so heartening. "GeriTech is a blog by and for clinicians interested in how technology can be used to provide better geriatrics care." And in one of the 2012 posts on this blog, a geriatric specialist is genuinely concerned about the issue of elderly patients taking benzodiazepines and how to help them with a taper.

 

Here's a key quote:

 

"As I mentioned in my previous post, some of it is is a lack of geriatric knowledge: many doctors just don't realize how much worse benzodiazepines can make an older person.

 

But it's also due to a lack of technology. Specifically, physicians in clinic are lacking access to technology to help make a benzodiazepine taper feasible and efficient for both doctor and patient."

 

Here's the link:

 

http://www.geritech.org/2012/10/tapering-benzodiazepines-tech-help.html

 

And here's the full description of Geri Tech:

 

http://www.geritech.org/p/about.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With withdrawal being potentially so horrific, even with a well-done taper, many will choose to stay on the medicine.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The elderly are extremely vulnerable, so I was really pleased to come across this positive blog. The doctor acknowledges the issues, and seems caring and concerned. We need more of that. Of course, you're right that some may not be able to withdraw, but having a supportive doctor on board is very helpful. At the very least, it shows the awareness of the issue and a willingness to help and learn. 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for sharing, Lap.  Yes, very positive in general but, geez, an 80 yr old withdrawing from a benzo???!  Hmmm.  Risks vs. benefits, not something I'd ever want to gamble on.  :o

 

I really liked this paragraph ...

 

"This blog is about those technological innovations: commentary and conversation on what there is now, what we geriatric providers need from technology, what we wish someone would develop, reviews on technological tools we try and like (or don't), and a forum to ask for suggestions from clinicians facing similar problems to solve."

 

I wish they had that for all medical specialties.  :thumbsup:

 

Thank you so much for sharing all this great research!  :-*

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey abcd, since it's a three-year-old blog post, let's hope that the good doctor found the appropriate information and was able to provide some useful support. Of course, an 80-year-old may or may not be able to withdraw from benzodiazepines, but I'm reminded regularly that people are very different. Some have no trouble at all -- even at advanced ages -- while others, well, we know what happens to others!

 

One of the research articles I posted a little while ago was from a Canadian pharmacy journal, and it highlighted five different cases where elderly people had successfully withdrawn from benzos in a supportive setting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My dad's heart stopped one morning 2 summers ago. He was in the hospital for months recovering and it wasn't long before they were giving him ativan. What it was for while he was in the hospital, i don't know exactly. There may have been a legitimate reason when he was in intensive care, hooked up to a bunch of machines and chemically sedated with propofol, but they also administered it a few times when he was in the rehab facility and the only reason i can come up with is that it was much more for the staff's comfort than anything else (im sure their job is a lot more pleasant when patients are more "relaxed").

 

But the kicker is that they tried to send him home with a script. And there is absolutely ZERO reason why he should have been on that medicine at that point.

 

Luckily I was monitoring the situation and talked to my mom about it or he might very well be downing 2mg of ativan along with the other 20 some pills they have him on every day. At least the blood thinners and the COPD meds and all of that other stuff is helping keep him alive. The only reason I could see them sending him home with a benzo script is that he switched doctors when he moved between hospitals and it was probably just a matter of the last doctor being lazy and not questioning why he was needed to continue to take that med.

 

I imagine that is how some elderly folks end up on the psych drug train.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FG, that's a chilling story, and I'm sure there are similar stories like it out there. I read a lot of studies on this topic, and there was one that actually looked at that issue, i.e. seniors leaving hospital with benzodiazepine prescriptions. It seems that a lot of people become dependent as a result of it. Very, very sad. I'm really glad you were there to discuss it with your parents.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I know my mom doesn't understand the gravity of my situation but at least she listened to me when I told her what the med was and that there was absolutely zero reason why he should be taking it.

 

My sister is also going through some medical issues. Ironically whatever she has is neurological and many of the symptoms are the same as benzo wd and she has never touched a benzo in her life. She is at a point where she is traveling to out of town hospitals to try to get some answers, and of course even though the doctors still don't know what is going on they gave her gabapentin. Now they are talking about wanting to do a psych evaluation and as soon as I heard that I cringed because I know where that would likely lead.

 

Anyway, my point was that at least now my family runs these things by me and if I hear of anyone being prescribed a drug that raises any red flags with me I can at least give them a heads up to do their own research before diving head first into these drugs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...