William Simonson, PharmD, BCGP, FASCP Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States Unintentional weight loss is an important issue in geriatrics and is associated with an increased mortality over a 12-month period. Many factors may cause or contribute to weight loss including swallowing disorders, dental problems, dietary preferences, psychological conditions, effects of medications and effectsRead More >
Influenza treatment with antiviral medications
William Simonson, PharmD, BCGP, FASCP Oregon State University, USA If an individual has the misfortune of contracting the flu either because they were not vaccinated, or they contracted a flu strain that is resistant to the vaccine they received, an active case of the flu can be treated with one of a number of antiviralRead More >
Update on statin drugs for lipid disorders
William Simonson, PharmD, BCGP, FASCP * Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA Statin drugs are one of the most commonly used classes of medications, and one of the most controversial. The first statin, lovastatin, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1987. Additional statins received FDA approval, mostly in the 1990’s.Read More >
A new, more effective, vaccine to prevent shingles
William Simonson, PharmD, BCGP, FASCP Oregon State University, OR, USA Shingles is a very common condition in older adults with an estimated 1 million cases occurring in the U.S. each year. One in three Americans will develop shingles in their lifetime and the risk in-creases to one in two adults aged 85 and older. ThisRead More >
Putting proton pump inhibitors into perspective
William Simonson, PharmD, BCGP, FASCP Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA One of the most pertinent geriatric drug therapy mantras is “It’s a lot easier to start a drug than it is to stop a drug.” Medications that are considered to be safe and rather innocuous and medications that don’t always have a clear indicationRead More >
New drugs for Parkinson’s disease
William Simonson, PharmD, BCGP, FASCP Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA An estimated 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) each year according to the National Institutes of Health which reports that about one million Americans have PD. This neurological disorder typically occurs in people over age 60, though it can occur in youngerRead More >