Psychotropic prescribing in the oldest old attending a geriatric psychiatry service: a retrospective, cross-sectional study

Abstract

ObjectiveMore people are living beyond their 90s, yet this group has not been much studied. This study aimed to describe a sample of non-agenarians and centerians attending an old age psychiatry service with a focus on pharmacotherapy.MethodsRetrospective, cross-sectional survey of patients aged >90 in contact with the Department of Old Age Psychiatry in a university hospital over a 1-year period. Results were compared with the Beers, the Canadian and Screening Tool of Older Persons’ potentially inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP) criteria.ResultsA total of 65 nonagenarians or centerians were identified (mean age 93, 82% female). The majority (65%) resided in a nursing home; dementia was the most common diagnosis (77%), followed by depression (29%). The most commonly prescribed psychotropics were antidepressants (58%), followed by antipsychotics (45%), hypnotics (42%), anti-dementia agents (31%) and anxiolytics (26%). Overall, patients were on a mean of 2.1 (S.D. 1.3, range 0–5) psychotropics and 4.99 (S.D. 2.7, range 0–11) non-psychotropics. Mean Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score was 15 (S.D. 8.1). Increasing anticholinergic burden was negatively associated with MMSE scores (B = −1.72, p = 0.013). Residing in a nursing home was associated with a higher rate of antidepressant [OR 5.71 (95% CI 1.9–17.4)], anxiolytic [OR 13.5 (95% CI 1.7–110.4)] and antipsychotic [OR 3.4 (95% CI 1.1–10.4)] use. Potentially inappropriate prescribing included long-term benzodiazepine use (26%) and long-term antipsychotic use (25%).ConclusionsOur sample had a high psychiatric morbidity burden with high levels of psychotropic use. Ongoing review and audit of psychotropic use in elderly patients can identify potentially inappropriate prescribing in a group vulnerable to high levels of polypharmacy and extended psychotropic use.