Drug Risks & “Prescribing Cascade”
New York Times health columnist, Jane Brody, spotlights how drug-induced delirium and other serious adverse drug effects can be caused by a “prescribing cascade that starts with drug-induced side effects which are then viewed as a new ailment and treated with yet another drug or drugs that can cause still other side effects.”
Prescribing cascades are “often overlooked by examining doctors and unrecognized by families.”
Make sure to ask your doctor if the pharmaceutical product you or your loved one is prescribed is known to be safe for that age group, and carefully review the patient information leaflet which may list some of the product’s risks. Drug-induced delirium and akathisia can precipitate medication-induced suicidality and suicide.
