A 74 year old female is diagnosed with new onset seizures. She is initiated on Depakote 250 mg twice daily and titrated up to a dose of 1,000 mg twice daily. About 1-2 months following titration, she begins to experience increasing confusion and family begin to be...
Pain management is often very challenging. Patients differ from one another. One medication may totally take away the pain for one patient, while that same medication might not even touch the next patient’s pain. The type of pain is obviously an important...
Pain management in the elderly is something I deal with on a daily basis. It can be extremely challenging as there are potential negatives of using medications around every corner. Here’s a case that highlights a few challenges: 88 year old male with a history...
An 87-year-old female is having difficulty with tingling and burning in her feet. She is diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy. Her current medications include: Hydrochlorothiazide Metformin Glipizide Tylenol as needed Lisinopril Aspirin The primary provider orders...
78 year old male recently admitted to the hospital with a fall and likely hip fracture. He has had some lethargy and confusion lately as well. Previous falls have been noted as well. Current medication list of: Calcium and Vitmain D twice daily Proscar 5 mg daily...
78 year old patient recently on Dilantin (phenytoin) suspension had a seizure so a total Dilantin level was checked. (A free level probably would’ve been ideal in the case.) The level came back at around 4 which was unusual for this patient. Their normal...
