Table 2.

Top 10 Potentially Inappropriate Medications in Community-Dwelling Elder Dementia Patients and Their Primary Informal Caregiver (n=566)

PIM drug/class	% of all Beers medications	Most common examples in drug class
Care-recipient
1. Antihistamines with anticholinergic effect	11.8	Diphenhydramine
2. Oral estrogens	11.6
3. Muscle relaxant or antispasmodic	9.4	Oxybutynin
4. Fluoxetine	8.0
5. Short-acting nifedipine	6.6
6. Amitriptyline	5.6
7. NSAIDs	5.6	Naproxen, Piroxicam, Oxaprozin
8. Doxazosin	4.6
9. Thioridazine	4.0
10. Ticlopidine	3.8
Total % of all Beers Medications	70.7
Caregiver
1. Oral estrogens	34.9
2. NSAIDs	8.6	Naproxen, Piroxicam, Oxaprozin
3. Long-acting benzodiazepine	6.2	Diazepam, Clorazepate
4. Fluoxetine	5.5
5. Short-acting nifedipine	5.1
6. Muscle relaxant or antispasmodic	4.5	Oxybutynin, Chlorzoxazone, Ditropan
7. GI antispasmodic	4.5	Belladonna, Dicyclomine, Hyoscyamine
8. Clonidine	4.5
9. Doxazosin	4.1
10. Amitriptyline	3.8
Total % of all Beers Medications	81.5

PIM, Potentially Inappropriate Medication; NSAID, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug ; GI, gastrointestinal