Avoid benzodiazepines and opioids in people at risk of delirium
- Academic Unit of Medicines Management, Leeds Institute of Diagnostics and Therapeutics, School of Healthcare, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Correspondence to David Phillip Alldred
Academic Unit of Medicines Management, Leeds Institute of Diagnostics and Therapeutics, School of Healthcare, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK; d.p.alldred{at}leeds.ac.uk
Implications for nursing practice
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▪ Patients at risk of delirium should have their medications reviewed with particular attention paid to benzodiazepines and opioids.
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▪ Benzodiazepines should not be newly prescribed to people at risk of delirium and should be discontinued or reduced if possible.
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▪ Opioids should be avoided in people at risk of delirium; however, this may be difficult in practice if moderate to severe pain is present.
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▪ Patients who are receiving medications associated with delirium and are at risk of delirium should be closely monitored for changes or fluctuation in behaviour.
Implications for nursing research
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▪ Adequately powered, high-quality, prospective studies are needed to determine the influence of individual medications and pharmacological classes on the risk of delirium.
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▪ Polypharmacy is common in older people and delirium risk rises with age; therefore, the risk of combinations of medications on delirium needs to be studied.
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▪ Research is needed on the effect of withdrawing and reducing the doses of medications associated with …
