Most common LTC meds - help with a list please:)

[MamaCheese]

Hi all:) I'm a nursing IV student starting a rotation in LTC this week. I want to make up some cards for the most common meds given so I won't have to make so many when I get my patient assignments. I know there will be lots of cardiac, diuretics, etc..

Just looking for the top 10-12 that you most commonly see in a LTC facility. Thanks!!

[crjnursewarrior]

You forgot Aricept!! :)

[TeleRN44]

A few I didn't see mentioned...

Sinamet, Compton, Ditropan, Remeron, Dilaudid, Prozac, Seroquel, Trazadone, Dilantin, K-Dur, Proscar, Advair, Spiriva, Zantac, HCTZ, Atenolol, Lipitor

Then, there's Nystatin (cream or powder) for those fungal infections that are colorful and have an interesting aroma.

[dian57]

A big one for awhile around here was Procrit, which is wildly expensive. Our docs changed most orders to Aranesp on pharmacy consultant recs to save costs.

Fosamax has also been replaced with the cheaper Actonel.

The trinity seems to be Lasix, Dig and KcL, nearly everyone's on some dose/form or another.

You can't go wrong looking up all the bowel management meds: Colace, Senokot, Senokot-S, Metamucil, Fiber-Con, Dulcolax tabs and suppos, Fleet enema, Citrucel.

Quite a bit of blood thinners, too. Coumadin, ASA, Plavix. Post-ops get Lovenox short-term till they're mobile.

We've been slowly d/c'ing Aricept and Namenda here--by the time the famly seeks admission, they seem to be past the point of beneficial effect. We do 6 months of MMSE's to evaluate, then decide.

Seems lately the trend is going away from Zyprexa and Risperdal and toward Seroquel and Depakote for mood stabilizaton. I'm seeing a few Haldol orders coming back (remember when that was a HUGE no-no?).

Looks like you've got your work cut out for you!

[candykane]

Don't forget Detrol. Gotta go gotta go right now! Zinc and megace too.

[cheleb61]

We have all of a sudden been giving a lot of Fish Oil and Miralax. Zoloft too.

[GLORIAmunchkin72]

We use lots and lots of tylenol, trazodone, darvocet, vicodin and (MOM:rotfl: )

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

Mirilax is a biggie too.

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

And colchicine and allopurinal too. Oh, and then there's the occasional weekly B12 shot too, don't forget.

Please also try to find out which meds are crushable and which are not, because you'll need to crush a lot of them and administer them with applesauce for different folks.

Remember who gets thickened liquids.

Best of luck to you!

[Jubei]

Most common for me (good thing the previous repliers reminded me of some of the hundreds of meds I pass out a shift)?

Colace ( I hate liquid Colace)

Sorbitol ( I hate this liquid med too)

Senna/Sennokot

Tylenol (most common)

Dulcolax suppository

Coreg, Metoprolol, Norvasc, Lisinopril, and lot's of other BP meds

Milk of Magnesium

Vitamins

Ensure/Resource ( I classify this with Vitamins and Iron)

2nd most common meds:

Vicodin

Ativan

Coumadin

Lipitor

Reg Insulin

NPH

Lantus

Glyburide

Glypizide

Tyco # 2 and 3

Trazodone

Seroquel

prevacid

Risperdal

Nortriptyline for "phantom pain"

Celexa

Neurontin

Xalatan

Timoptic

Alphagan

Cosopt/trusopt

artificial tears

Atrovent/MDI

Lasix

Valproic H+

Zoloft

Paxil

Morphine

Fentanyl patches

Iron/Ferrous Sulfate

Tums

Os-Cal/Vit D 500

Thickner

Metamucil

3rd most common:

Dilantin

Depakote

Digoxin

Primadone

Antihistimines

Keppra

Aricept

Reglan

Simethicone

Protonix

Azmacort

Qvar

Albuterol

Keflex

Cipro (UTI's, etc)

Rarely:

NTG

Nitropaste

Megace

Premarin

Luvox

Fosamax (this med will burn a hole in your stomach if you don't use it right)

Fleet Enemas

Lovenox

Jevity, Jevity plus TF (I work in a small convy hospital)

Osmolyte TF

Promote TF

Ensure TF

Chinese medicine and acupuncture (just kidding)

Exorcist/Voodoo spells if Ativan or bribes don't work

Seasonal:

Robittusin

PPD

Treatment:

Silvadene

Safegel

Nystatin (underneath breast and groin areas)

Lotrimin

Biofreeze

Analgesic Balm

Tac cream

triple antibiotics

duoderms

Calmoseptine

A&D

Holly Cow...it's almost 3:00 am!

[Jubei]

I haven't done LTC in a LONG time, but I do remember Flomax being a big one, also Fosamax. You'll probably also see betapace, haldol, detrol. Sorry, not much of a list, but I happen to readily remember these. :)

Wow. Fosamax was common for you? I hope your residents stomachs ended up okay.

[Jubei]

Lisinopril, lopressor, glucophage, cardizem, avandia, risperdal, zoloft, trazadone, and of course- everyone's favorite drug ATIVAN :yelclap:

Ha! Ativan doesn't even work on my residents even at 0.5 to 1 mg.

[donmomofnine]

Good old ativan ~ vitamin A!!