News of the Day and various items

A reader asks if I have discussed prescribing Xanax to elderly people here. Actually I don't think I have, although I have discussed antipsychotic prescribing to elderly people. Advanced age is definitely a counterindication for benzodiazepines, one study even finding an increased risk of dementia, although this study is small and I haven't seen a meta-analysis. Still, elderly people metabolize benzos more slowly, so they get higher plasma concentrations, and they are therefore at higher risk for the usual side effects such as drowsiness. However, I also tend to think that belonging to the species Homo sapiens is also a counterindication. Finally, benzos have considerable potential for producing dependency.As for searching my blog, I can do it myself with my credentials but I don't know if there's a way for the general public to do it. But if you have any requests, I'll consider them.In other news, tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of the first legally recognized same sex marriage in the U.S. At the time, many of us were concerned that it had been brought about by judicial fiat, not the legislative process. However, as soon as people noticed that in fact, nothing bad happened -- fire and brimstone did not rain down upon the Commonwealth, other people's marriages were unaffected, and restaurants and caterers made more money -- it suddenly became fine with people. And that's what's been spreading all over the place. Once it's familiar, and all the horrific consequences manifestl...
Source: Stayin' Alive - Category: American Health Source Type: blogs