Optimizing Safety and Quality of Life
Both professional and family caregivers of individuals with I/DD need to know what side effects and complications to watch for and report to the prescriber promptly. Identifying these symptoms can be significant for a few reasons:
- They can help prevent avoidable hospitalizations and emergency room visits.
- Side effects can cause some people to stop taking or refuse to take their medications. For instance, anti-seizure medications, common in I/DD individuals, can cause tiredness, stomach upset, dizziness, blurred vision and/or urinary retention.
- Others, such as sleep disturbances or changes in appetite, can lead to a drug cascade effect when other medications are added to the regimen to address the side effect. “The pharmacist can help prevent this by conducting a medication review and/or doing a drug interaction screening,” Patel says.
Preventing ADEs not only reduces complications that can harm those with I/DD, but also the likelihood of hospitalizations, which can exacerbate behavioral issues like agitation and expose already vulnerable patients to infections and illnesses. By following the five tips in this guide, your team will be able to best leverage your pharmacy provider to effectively address ADEs among those you serve.