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State Gives Unsuitable Drugs to Elderly
Brett Horner, Sunday Times
June 19, 2005
Nearly a third of state patients over the age of 65 are being given medication known to have serious side effects in the elderly population, a study says.
One such drug, an anti- inflammatory called indomethacin, is known to cause mental disorders.
These findings, which were released two weeks ago, come from a survey conducted in 2002 in Durban. It found that out of 6410 prescriptions handled by a single state pharmacy, 30% included at least one medication considered inappropriate for elderly people.
Repeated attempts to get comment from the Department of Health have been unsuccessful.
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