Author: Jonathan Block

Jonathan Block

Jonathan Block is a freelance writer and former MedShadow content editor. He has been an editor and writer for multiple pharmaceutical, health and medical publications, including BioCentury, The Pink Sheet, Modern Healthcare, Health Plan Week and Psychiatry Advisor. He holds a BA from Tufts University and is earning an MPH with a focus on health policy from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy.

Dementia patients given a prescription opioid for pain experience many more severe side effects, such as confusion, personality changes and sedation, compared to those who received a placebo. In a trial, researchers examined 162 residents in care facilities who were diagnosed with advanced dementia and depression. Patients who were then prescribed buprenorphine, an opioid, for pain had a risk of experiencing severe side effects more than triple compared to those who were given a placebo. The results were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. Tylenol (acetaminophen) is usually the first-line treatment for treating pain in dementia patients. Although opioids…

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