11th July 2018
Sulfonylureas de-prescribed in pharmacy-led review
A pharmacy-led review of older people’s diabetes medication in West Hampshire has led to de-prescribed sulfonylureas (SU) in more than 50 per cent of cases.
SUs can cause dangerous hypoglycaemia which is linked to an increased risk of myocardial infarction, stroke and falls leading to fractures or seizures in older people.
Consultant pharmacist in diabetes Philip Newland-Jones, who supported the work, said: ““Effective glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes reduces the risk of microvascular complications. However, the long-term benefits of tight glycaemic control in frail elderly patients are thought to be less than those for younger patients.
#GPPharmacists what are you doing to tackle this in your practices? Our i2i team of pharmacists in Devon are conducting a data capture project looking at exactly this – watch this space for our outcomes!!
