Acute neuropsychiatric symptoms caused by Covid-19 could raise long-term use of multiple psychoactive drugs in elderly nursing home residents, a new study found.
Signs of depression, anxiety, agitation and fatigue were one of the most commonly observed symptoms among long-term care residents of Covid. These symptoms resulted in an increase in drug use among adults over the age of 65, according to a study published in the Canadian Journal of Geriatrics.
“SARS-COV-2 infection was associated with more prescriptions of psychotropic drugs, particularly antidepressants,” the authors said. “These results suggest that Covid-19 may promote prescribing psychotropic medications that contribute to polypharmacy in frail elderly people living in long-term care facilities.”
Investigators said they emphasized that prescribers must take particular precautions when ordering medications from infected patients.
Follow-up showed that older people were at a higher risk of illness after acute illness compared to younger counterparts, especially those who already had two or more long-term health conditions.
Subjects included adults aged 65 years and older from six Canadian nursing homes. Almost 74% of participants had Covid.
Additionally, participants were required to “experience significant losses in autonomy and require more than 3 hours of direct care per day.” Neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI)-nursing home versions were analyzed.
Covid treatment under investigation
Similar studies have been conducted to determine whether clinicians may affect the way and frequency of prescribing medicines, and whether it plays a role in the long-term health and well-being of older people.
Another study from the Journal of the Journal of Cute and the Long-Term Care Medical Association found that residents who received community diagnosis at 41 Texas nursing homes were taking an increasing number of medications. They were also very vulnerable to acute illnesses.
For six months, researchers looked at several factors, including new drugs, increased doses, and drug drug interactions. They found that over half of Covid-19 residents were treated with new drugs, with an average of 2.6 drugs being launched.
Additionally, about a third of the original study cohort received at least one new drug therapy that is still recorded 30 days after the diagnosis of Covid-19. Nearly 20% experienced clinically important drug-drug interactions.
As a solution, the authors of Canadian Geriatric Research have urged clinicians to think carefully about whether the medications they are prescribed are medically necessary.
“Clinicians need to reassess the need for psychotropic drugs prescribed following SARS-COV-2 infection and should implement a dropout strategy when appropriate,” the author said.
