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This study evaluated the consumption of psychotropic medications by caregivers of elderly patients with or without dementia. This was a cross-sectional study conducted at all geriatric units in Brasília, Brazil, during a two-month period. Structured interviews were performed with 311 caregivers of people with or without dementia and they completed questionnaires. Among the caregivers, 196 (63%) were caregivers of patients with dementia and 115 (37%) were caregivers of patients without dementia. Forty-four caregivers (14.1%) were taking psychotropic drugs (benzodiazepines or antidepressants), and this usage was more frequent among caregivers of patients with dementia (p

Sleep disorders (SD) in patients with dementia are very common in clinical practice. The use of antidepressants with hypnotic actions, such as trazodone, plays an important role in these cases. The aim of this study is to present a profile of the use of trazodone in demented patients with SD, as well as a review of trazodone hydrochloride in SD. We evaluated 178 elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, clinically presenting SD and treated with hypnosedative medications. In the one-year period comprising the study, 68 (38.2%) of the 178 had sleep disorders. Most patients (114; 64%) had a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Approximately 85% of patients with SD used hypnosedative drugs. Trazodone was the most commonly used drug among patients (N = 35), with an effectiveness of 65.7%. Trazodone has been shown to be a good option for treatment of the elderly with dementia and associated SD.

Abstract Cyclophosphamide is an alkylating agent widely used for the treatment of malignant neoplasia and which can be used in the treatment of multiple rheumatic diseases. Medication administration errors may lead to its reduced efficacy or increased drug toxicity. Many errors occur in the administration of injectable drugs. The present study aimed at structuring a routine for cyclophosphamide use, as well as creating a document with pharmacotherapeutic guidelines for the patient. The routine is schematized in three phases: pre-chemotherapy, administration of cyclophosphamide, and post-chemotherapy, taking into account the drugs to be administered before and after cyclophosphamide in order to prevent adverse effects, including nausea and hemorrhagic cystitis. Adverse reactions can alter laboratory tests; thus, this routine included clinical management for changes in white blood cells, platelets, neutrophils, and sodium, including cyclophosphamide dose adjustment in the case of kidney disease. Cyclophosphamide is responsible for other rare - but serious - side effects, for instance, hepatotoxicity, severe hyponatremia and heart failure. Other adverse reactions include hair loss, amenorrhea and menopause. In this routine, we also entered guidelines to post-chemotherapy patients. The compatibility of injectable drugs with the vehicle used has been described, as well as stability and infusion times. The routine aimed at the rational use of cyclophosphamide, with prevention of adverse events and relapse episodes, factors that may burden the health care system.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the occurrence of potential high-risk drug-drug interactions in elderly individuals with dementia. METHODS: The sample was chosen from a geriatric outpatient clinic of the Multidisciplinary Center for the Elderly in the University Hospital of Brasília. This cross-sectional study included patients aged 60 or older with a diagnosis of dementia. The prescriptions were analyzed using the Lexi-Interact® database to identify possible potential drug-drug interactions. RESULTS: The study included 97 participants. Sixty-one patients (62.9%) had at least one clinically important potential drug-drug interactions (risks C and D). Of the 264 interactions identified, 23 (8.7%) were classified as risk D, 14 were pharmacodynamics and nine pharmacokinetic. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest an increased frequency in the occurrence of clinically significant potential drug-drug interactions in dementia patients. This reinforces the need for drug-drug interaction studies in specific populations.

ABSTRACT Objective: To identify barriers to adherence to home oral maintenance chemotherapy in children with leukemia treated at a specialized cancer center. Methods: We used the Brief Medication Questionnaire (BMQ) as a tool for screening barriers to adherence. The level of adherence was calculated considering at least one positive response in each BMQ domain, defined as Regimen Screen, Belief Screen, and Recall Screen. A positive screening for belief barriers (PSB) indicates that the caregiver reports not understanding the medication's mechanism of action and adverse effects. Results: Three important barriers to adherence were identified: beliefs, number of children of the caregiver, and age of the caregiver. The primary caregivers included 32 mothers (80%), four fathers (10%), three grandmothers (7.5%), and one unrelated caregiver (2.5 %). Most caregivers with a PSB were mothers. A PSB indicates that the caregiver reports not understanding the medication's mechanism of action and adverse effects. Caregivers with two or more children (median, three) had more barriers to adherence. Caregivers with potential non-adherence tended to be older than those with potential adherence, although without statistical significance (p=0.079, Mann-Whitney U test). Conclusions: The main barriers to adherence to home oral maintenance chemotherapy in children with leukemia identified through interviews with their caregivers, most often mothers, were lack of understanding of the treatment regimen, a greater number of children, and older age.

BACKGROUND: Tablet splitting appears common in older adults, but its safety, and the factors associated with this practice, remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To identify which psychotropic drugs are most often split, which doses are intended with this practice, and whether these doses are provided by the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) or commercially available. METHODS: Cross-sectional descriptive study of 632 geriatric outpatients. The number of individuals who split tablets was identified, as well as the psychotropic drugs they used and split. The availability of these drugs on the SUS network and on the market was assessed by checking the 2017 National Formulary of Essential Medicines (RENAME 2017) and the Dictionary of Proprietary Medicinal Products (Dicionário de Especialidades Farmacêuticas) respectively. RESULTS: Tablet splitting was reported by 178 patients (28.2%). This practice was significantly more common among those aged 80 years or older. Tablet splitting was significantly associated with a greater number of medical visits and a higher pill burden. The most commonly affected therapeutic classes were antipsychotics (23.9%), other psychotropic drugs (18.7%) and antidepressants (12.3%). Of the 20 psychotropic drugs split, 45% were available on the SUS. CONCLUSIONS: Tablet splitting poses a challenge, as there is no guarantee of uniformity of concentration of the active ingredient in the split halves. Although the psychotropic drugs that were split in this sample are commercially available, most were not available from SUS in the desired dose forms for older adults.

Introdução: A manipulação de antineoplásicos para ajuste de dose, como partição de comprimidos, e comum no tratamento de leucemias agudas de crianças e adolescentes. Objetivo: Identificar a frequência e descrever a pratica da partição domiciliar de comprimidos antineoplásicos utilizados no tratamento oral de crianças e adolescentes com leucemias agudas na fase de manutenção. Método: Trata-se de um estudo transversal descritivo, realizado em um hospital pertencente a rede de saúde publica do Distrito Federal com assistência especializada em pediatria. Foram incluídos no estudo crianças e adolescentes entre 1 e 18 anos, diagnosticados com leucemias agudas e em fase de manutenção do tratamento no período de estudo. Foi aplicado um questionário semiestruturado ao responsável principal pela administração dos medicamentos quimioterápicos via oral, podendo ser o cuidador ou a própria criança/adolescente. Foram coletadas variáveis sociodemográficas dos pacientes e cuidadores e variáveis sobre a pratica de partição de medicamentos antineoplásicos no domicilio. Resultados: Todos os 48 entrevistados no período do estudo relataram ter partido comprimidos antineoplásicos ao longo do tratamento de leucemias agudas, sendo estes mercaptopurina (n=45 [93,75%]) e tioguanina (n=3 [6,25%]). Conclusão: A partição de comprimidos antineoplásicos foi uma pratica unanime em virtude da necessidade referida de ajuste de dose individual para o tratamento de leucemias agudas de crianças e adolescentes, considerando a indisponibilidade de formulações adequadas. Os resultados reforçam a necessidade de a partição ser uniformizada e realizada de maneira a minimizar os riscos e a garantir a segurança para as crianças e adolescentes e seus cuidadores.

The article had the purpose of commenting on studies on polypharmacy in the elderly, focusing on diagnosis and control. Polypharmacy is defined as the use of a number of medications at the same time and the use of additional drugs to correct drug adverse effects. The fact that the elderly take more medications for the treatment of several diseases makes them more susceptible to the occurrence of adverse reactions. Prophylactic actions such as balanced prescriptions are vital to reduce the incidence of these reactions and prevent longer hospital stay, increased costs and aggravation of the elderly health condition.O artigo teve por objetivo comentar estudos sobre polifarmácia em idosos, particularmente em diagnose e controle. O conceito de polifarmácia considera o uso de diversos medicamentos ao mesmo tempo, além da utilização de um fármaco para corrigir o efeito adverso de outro. Por consumirem mais medicamentos para o tratamento de diversas doenças, os idosos são mais vulneráveis ao surgimento de reações adversas. Medidas profiláticas, como a prescrição balanceada, são de fundamental importância para diminuir essas reações, tendo em vista o aumento do tempo de internação, gasto e piora do quadro de saúde do idoso.