Following New Dementia Diagnosis, The Share Of Medicare Beneficiaries Taking Five Or More Medications Increased By 2.8%

Following a new diagnosis of dementia, the incidence of polypharmacy (five or more medications per day) increased by 2.8% to 75.2% of the study cohort during the first two years of diagnosis, compared to a matched control population. Immediately following the date of dementia diagnosis, the cohort with dementia had a greater increase in mean number of medications used (0.41) than those without dementia (-0.06). This was mostly due to the addition of new psychotropic medications to address behavioral symptoms or slow cognitive decline.

At baseline, hospitalized individuals with incident dementia were more likely (54.3 . . .