Course Description
Psychotropic medications are widely prescribed in older adults, yet their long-term use carries heightened risks (e.g., falls, delirium, and mortality). This session will educate psychiatric pharmacists on the current evidence to support the practice of deprescribing psychotropics in older adults and consider areas of ongoing investigation. Attendees will learn evidence-based strategies for deprescribing, taking into account patient-specific factors such as comorbidities, functional status, and safety considerations. Practical guidance will also be provided on balancing risks, supporting caregivers, and ensuring quality of life during the deprescribing process.
Learning Objectives
- Explain the current evidence on deprescribing psychotropics in older adults.
- Determine the appropriateness of long-term use of psychotropic medications in older adults based on patient specific characteristics.
- Recommend a treatment plan for deprescribing psychotropics in older adults.
Target Audience
If you are a pharmacist, nurse practitioner, or other health care professional involved in the comprehensive medication management of individuals living with mental health and/or substance use disorders, we invite you to participate in this course.
Faculty
View biographical information
Nina Vadiei graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with her PharmD then completed her PGY1 and PGY2 psychiatric pharmacy residency with Ascension Seton Healthcare. She then moved to Tucson, Arizona to start her first post-residency position as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona (UA) College of Pharmacy in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Psychiatry. She practiced as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Psychiatry at Banner University Medical Center South, managing medications for patients with serious mental illness and on the geriatric psychiatry unit. After six years with the University of Arizona, she transferred to her current position as a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy in the Division of Pharmacotherapy & Translational Sciences in San Antonio. She spends half of her time practicing as a psychiatric pharmacist at San Antonio State Hospital, completing psychopharmacology consults for patients with serious mental illness and evaluating hospital and system-level psychotropic prescribing patterns. She precepts pharmacy students and residents who elect to complete clinical rotations in psychiatric pharmacy, always striving to make learning experiences fun and thought-provoking regardless of the learner’s interest in pursuing psychiatry as a career. Her primary areas of research include serious mental illness, substance use disorders, and the scholarship of teaching and learning.
Course Requirements
To receive ACPE credit for this session, you must:
- Register for this course.
- Review the full content of the activity and reflect upon its teachings.
- Complete the evaluation at the end of the activity.
- Provide the necessary details in your profile to ensure correct reporting by AAPP to CPE Monitor.
Continuing Education Credit and Disclosures
Activity Dates: 4/20/2026-4/20/2029
ACPE Contact Hours: 1.0
ACPE Number: 0284-0000-##-###-###-P (Application)
Nursing Credit Reminder: Note that ACPE credit is accepted for ANCC Certification Renewal and AANPCB advanced practice provider content. For specific questions related to your organization's acceptance of ACPE continuing education units, please contact your organization directly.
The American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.
AAPP owns the copyright, is licensed or has received permissions for use of, or is otherwise permitted to use copyrighted materials within any CPE activity. Authors and speakers are required to obtain necessary copyright permissions for content in CPE activities. AAPP complies with copyright laws and regulations.
View disclaimer and disclosure of off-label use
Off-Label Use: This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA (see faculty information). The opinions expressed in the educational activity do not necessarily represent the views of AAPP and any educational partners. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.
Disclaimer: Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and possible contraindications on dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.
View fair balance and integrity statement
It is the policy of AAPP to ensure independence, balance, objectivity, scientific rigor, and integrity in continuing education activities. Those involved in the development of this continuing education activity have made all reasonable efforts to ensure that information contained herein is accurate in accordance with the latest available scientific knowledge at the time of accreditation of this continuing education activity. Information regarding drugs (e.g., their administration, dosages, contraindications, adverse reactions, interactions, special warnings, and precautions) and drug delivery systems is subject to change, however, and the reader is advised to check the manufacturer’s package insert for information concerning recommended dosage and potential problems or cautions prior to dispensing or administering the drug or using the drug delivery systems.
Fair balance is achieved through ongoing and thorough review of all materials produced by faculty, and all educational and advertising materials produced by supporting organizations, prior to educational offerings. Approval of credit for this continuing education activity does not imply endorsement by AAPP for any product or manufacturer identified.