Polypharmacy “refers to an increasing overload of drugs that may not benefit the patient or interact well with one another, and that may cause harm including falls, cognitive impairment, hospitalization and death. It has sparked interest in “deprescribing”: the practice in which doctors and patients regularly review medication regimens to prune away risky or unnecessary drugs.

For older patients, the most commonly prescribed inappropriate medicines include proton pump inhibitors like Nexium and Prilosec, benzodiazepines like Xanax and Ativan, and tricyclic antidepressants, according to an analysis of Medicare data published last year.”

Benzodiazepines and drugs marketed as antidepressants increase the risk of suffering from akathisia. Read the full article at https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/07/health/elderly-drugs-deprescribing.html?action=click&module=Science%20%20Technology&pgtype=Homepage