Table 2.
Prevalence of prescriptions of potentially inappropriate medications independent of diagnosis or condition for older adults (N = 523,811)
| Drug category | Male (n = 212,082) No (%) | Female (n = 311,729) No (%) | Total (n = 523,81) No (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anticholinergics (excludes TCAsa) First-generation antihistamines | 105,474 | (49.73) | 168,642 | (54.10) | 274,116 | (52.33) |
| Cardiovascularb | 34,748 | (16.38) | 13,499 | (4.33) | 48,247 | (9.21) |
| Central nervous system | 102,334 | (48.25) | 209,620 | (67.24) | 311,954 | (59.55) |
| Antipsychotics | 2,979 | (1.40) | 4,943 | (1.59) | 7,922 | (1.51) |
| Tertiary TCAsc | 11,876 | (5.60) | 23,220 | (7.45) | 35,096 | (6.70) |
| Barbiturates | 1,043 | (0.49) | 1,811 | (0.58) | 2,854 | (0.54) |
| Benzodiazepines | 71,452 | (33.69) | 151,334 | (48.55) | 222,786 | (42.53) |
| Nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics | 14,984 | (7.07) | 28,312 | (9.08) | 43,296 | (8.27) |
| Endocrine | 6,100 | (2.88) | 9,128 | (2.93) | 15,228 | (2.91) |
| Gastrointestinal | 18,028 | (8.50) | 35,961 | (11.54) | 53,989 | (10.31) |
| Pain | 82,101 | (38.71) | 143,334 | (45.98) | 225,435 | (43.04) |
| Skeletal muscle relaxants | 18,495 | (8.72) | 36,266 | (11.63) | 54,761 | (10.45) |
aTCAs, tricyclic antidepressants; bIncludes: alpha-agonist (reserpine >0.1 mg/d), alpha-blocker, antiarrhythmic drugs, and digoxin (>0.125 mg/d); cIncludes: doxepin >6 mg/d