Psychiatry & Psychotherapy Podcast Anticholinergic Burden
Nov 10, 2020
Carl Wallenkamp and Adriana Alvarez, medical students dedicated to enhancing mental health care, tackle the significant issue of anticholinergic burden in medications. They delve into how certain drugs can impair cognitive function, particularly in the elderly. The duo discusses the prevalence of delirium, its connection to medication, and the importance of careful prescribing. Their insights include a new color-coded table to classify medications by cognitive impact, urging healthcare providers to prioritize patient mental health.
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Medical Student's Project on Delirium
- Carl Wallenkamp worked on a project reviewing medications causing delirium and cognitive impairment during a hospital consult rotation.
- His detailed Excel sheet helps identify anticholinergic burden in medications to better manage patient cognition.
Types of Cognitive Disruption
- Sundowning is cognitive worsening later daily in dementia patients influenced by medications and environment.
- Delirium varies from hypoactive to hyperactive, reflecting severity and brain dysfunction.
Delirium as Acute Brain Attack
- Delirium is like an acute brain attack with predisposing and precipitating factors.
- It affects a third of hospitalized elderly, often persisting after discharge.