A Prescribing Cascade

Amlodipine, also known as Norvasc, is a blood pressure medication. One of its side effects is swelling due to fluid retention. Sometimes this side effect is overlooked, and a diuretic medication is prescribed to get rid of the swelling. This is the start of another prescribing cascade. A prescribing cascade occurs when a symptom caused by one medication is treated by another medication. This can usually be avoided by switching the medication that is causing the symptom for another medication that has the same beneficial effect without the harmful side effect.

If you investigated, the reason for the high blood pressure could have been excess salt consumption from processed foods. So instead of taking two medications, reduced intake of processed foods could have eliminated this entire prescribing cascade! This is just one example of how a pharmacist’s knowledge combined with lifestyle medicine can help reduce the need for medications and improve your health! Thanks for reading! #lifestylemedicine #seniors #olderadults

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