Older women more likely to be prescribed inappropriate drugs: study - The Globe and Mail - 0 views
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That does not necessarily mean that doctors treat older women differently. Morgan noted that women are more likely to seek medical attention for anxiety and sleeplessness, whereas men are more likely to self-medicate with alcohol and other drugs, according to previous research.Overuse of tranquilizers in both sexes may stem from long-term prescription renewals, he said. “We suspect that many people actually started using them 10 or 15, or maybe 20 years earlier, when they were middle-aged.”
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The study, published this month in the medical journal Age and Ageing, analyzed population-based data from British Columbia’s PharmaNet, a province-wide network that links B.C. pharmacies to central databases.Rates of inappropriate prescribing for older adults are similarly high in other parts of the country, according to a 2012 study conducted by the Canadian Institute For Health Information.
