UnifiedACB

Medication evidence profile

Benztropine

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Clinical overview

Anticholinergic antiparkinsonian agent

Benztropine has public medication-list entries in KABS 2020 open validation supplement and CALS 2022 Table 4. These are 2 separate source versions, each with its own evidence and definitions.

Source-specific scores

SourceScore
JARSNot listed
Yamada-ABSNot listed
BAASNot listed
Swe-ABSNot listed
GABSNot listed
KABS3
CALS3

How to read this: 0 means the source explicitly assigned zero. “Not listed” means the source did not provide a score for this medication. Scores from different scales are not averaged.

Other names used in the sources

Benzatropine

How to interpret the evidence

2 of 7 public source versions contain an explicit medication-list entry for benztropine.

The available rows for benztropine display the same numeric value. Agreement of the displayed numbers does not establish identical methods, clinical meaning or patient-level risk.

None of the public rows in this profile is an explicit zero. An unlisted source still supplies no value.

Source labels and provenance · 2 observations
  1. KABS 2019 scale - 2020 open validation supplement

    Source label: Benztropine. Published value: 3.
    Source version: KABS-2020-validation-supplement
    Source location: Additional file 1; category Anti-parkinson drugs; table row 35
    Observation: KABS2020_SUPP_0166; rating state: published_validation_supplement_rating.

  2. CALS 2022 - primary final Table 4

    Source label: Benzatropine. Published value: 3.
    Source version: CALS-2022-primary-table4
    Source location: Table 4; literal capture row 41; displayed table row 6; displayed column 6
    Observation: CALS2022_T4_0041; rating state: published_final_table_rating.

Class context — anticholinergic antiparkinsonian agents

These agents are identified as strongly anticholinergic. The 2023 general criterion also addresses their use in older adults. Route qualifications belong to the applicable medication and criterion.

AGS Beers 2023 Table 2; AGS Beers 2023 Table 7

Benztropine: medication-specific notes

Route qualification

The 2023 general criterion specifically lists oral benztropine. That route qualification remains part of the criterion when it is applied to an individual regimen.

AGS Beers 2023 Table 2

Older-adult medication context

AGS Beers context: classification and criteria

AGS Beers 2023 · Strong anticholinergicBeers: Avoid / generally avoid in older adults · oral
  • Table 7: Strong-anticholinergic reference listing.
  • Table 2: General older-adult medication criterion; qualification: oral.

Source-scale observations and geriatric criteria answer different questions. The Beers material does not alter any score above.

Adults 65 years and older; intended for ambulatory, acute, and institutional care except hospice/end-of-life settings.

Condition-specific and medication-combination contexts

Table 3: clinical conditions

Condition-specific contexts: delirium or high delirium risk, dementia or cognitive impairment, and history of falls or fractures. Applicability depends on the condition and the relevant source criterion.

Table 5: cumulative anticholinergic exposure

Concurrent use of more than one anticholinergic medication should be minimized because cumulative exposure increases geriatric safety concerns.

American Geriatrics Society 2023 updated AGS Beers Criteria — Tables 2, 3, 5 and 7; selected criterion context.

Potentially inappropriate does not mean absolutely contraindicated. Apply the criterion in clinical context and use shared decision-making.

What this page does not establish

  • No medication-list entry is available here from JARS 2025, Yamada-ABS 2023, BAAS 2019, Swe-ABS 2023, and GABS 2018. These gaps remain “Not listed”; no score is inferred from another source or from class membership.
  • Do not infer route equivalence from canonical grouping; use source label/table annotations.
  • These source records do not estimate an individual’s probability of harm or establish whether to start, stop or change a medication. Ordinal source scores are not averaged into a UnifiedACB score.
Why is this medication clinically relevant to anticholinergic burden?Is this medication identified in the 2023 AGS Beers Criteria?What geriatric concerns are most relevant for this medication?
What does the oral-route qualification mean for benztropine in the 2023 AGS Beers Criteria?

References

  1. Suh Y, Ah YM, Han E, et al. Dose response relationship of cumulative anticholinergic exposure with incident dementia: validation study of Korean anticholinergic burden scale. BMC Geriatr. 2020;20(1):265. doi:10.1186/s12877-020-01671-z. Open source
  2. Ramos H, Moreno L, Pérez-Tur J, Cháfer-Pericás C, García-Lluch G, Pardo J. CRIDECO Anticholinergic Load Scale: an updated anticholinergic burden scale. Comparison with the ACB Scale in Spanish individuals with subjective memory complaints. J Pers Med. 2022;12(2):207. doi:10.3390/jpm12020207. Open source

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Medication context: Benztropine

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