The Beer Criteria
The Beer Criteria is one of the commonly used guidelines in prescribing drugs in geriatrics. It includes a list of drugs that have the potential to cause negative outcomes for older individuals, 65 years and older because their potential risk is greater compared with the benefits. It is a guideline for health care providers to enhance the safety of drugs when prescribing for older adults. These individuals are considered at-risk, revealing the importance of improving the risk-benefit ratio of the drugs, which is necessary to ensure a quality of life as they age (Burchum & Rosenthal, 2014). The criterion is important during prescription because it reduces drug interactions, issues of polypharmacy, and adverse reactions to medications. The guidelines are used in geriatrics medical care, particularly to prevent the dangerous effects of drugs as medical professionals strive to maintain the quality of care.
Food-Drug Interactions
Drugs are expected to have beneficial effects on the person using them because of their potential to treat various health issues. However, drugs have the potential to interact with other substances causing harmful effects on the patient. Therefore, the effect of the medicine might divert from the expected outcome due to interactions with other substances, including beverages. One of the substances that commonly interact with drugs is grapefruit juice. Some experts suggest that the grapefruit juice interacts with at least 85 drugs (de Boer, van Hunsel, & Bast, 2015). Products from the grapefruit, including juices, potentially slow the ingestion of drugs, which remain in the system longer than should be. The effect of the interaction is similar to a drug overdose since the patient takes another dose while the earlier drug remains in the system. The interaction can cause kidney damage, abnormal heart rhythms, respiratory depression, muscle damage, and intestinal or stomach bleeding. Therefore, it is important to avoid such products when under medications.
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