Complementary and alternative medications

CAM, complementary and alternative medications CNS, central nervous system CVA, costovertebral angle OTC, over-the-counter OUI, overflow urinary incontinence SUI, stress urinary incontinence UTI, urinary tract infection UUI, urge urinary incontinence. 

Obtain a thorough history of prescription, non-prescription, and complementary and alternative medication use. 

The prevalence of complementary and alternative medication (CAM) is increasing among older adults. In a recent report, nearly two thirds of ambulatory elderly used at least one form of CAM, but much of CAM use was unrecognized by physicians, CAMS have been associated with adverse events (Table 9) and important drug interactions between CAMs and conventional drug therapies have been... 

Wetzel MS, Kaptchuk TJ, Haramati A, Eisenberg DM. Complementary and alternative medical therapies implications for medical education. Ann Intern Med 2003 138(3) 191-196. 

Adams KE, Cohen MH, Eisenberg D, Jonsen AR. Ethical considerations of complementary and alternative medical therapies in conventional medical settings. Ann Intern Med 2002 137(8) 660-664. 

Navo MA, Phan J, Vaughan C, et al. An assessment of the utilization of complementary and alternative medication in women with gynecologic or breast malignancies. J Clin Oncol 2004 22(4) 671-677. 

Kessler RC, Davis RB, Foster DF, et al. Long-term trends in the use of complementary and alternative medical therapies in the United States. Ann Intern Med 2001 135 262-268. 

For patients who do not have the above findings, their renal failure should be considered acute until proven otherwise. In these individuals, a careful review of their recent medications, including nonprescription, complementary, and alternative medications is mandatory. Special attention should be focused on diuretics, NSAIDs, antihypertensives, and any recent additions or changes in the patient s medications. 

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