While look though my moms meds and looking up the side affects we found reason to discuss it with her doctor. At her next appointment she brought some notes that we had jotted down as concerns and started asking questions and expressing concerns. She was told by her doctor that if the medications were dangerous or harmful they would not be on the market. I'm going with for her next appointment. There are some instances when a doctor is little more than a highly paid drug dealer.
I took care of my mother for eight years. She died in February at the young age of 67. She had a plethora of medical problems and I battled the medical system for five years just to get her off of the morphine. Even after than her medication list was still in the double digits and was back up to close to 20 medications within six months.
I'm not gonna lie. My mother battled issues with addiction. She had spinal surgery and she told the surgeon she did not want narcotics because of her issues with addiction and she was hooked on morphine immediately after. All the surgeon said was "oops". He had not checked her entire file and her notation of her history of addiction.
In 2018, her medication list was up to around 20 meds, including both the extended and immediate forms of morphine combined with other pain medications. She could not stay awake during my weekly visits. She fell asleep in her food, nearly slipped under a table at a restaurant when I stepped away to use the restroom. She would fall asleep in the car and hover over the gear shift and I'd have to constantly push her back in her sitting while driving. I wrote letters, sent faxes, called the doctors. I told them what I was seeing. None of them were willing to "interfere with another doctor's care plan". She had 11 doctors. 11 doctors not wanting to interfere with the others. So they would not take her off the medications and the ones the prescribed... well they would consider reducing them.
When she had scheduled appointments on the same day for both her primary care physician and her pain management doctor, I decided to go with her to both. I again voiced my concerns about her sleepiness. While waiting for her PCP she fell asleep and almost fell out of her chair, but when he came in, she engaged in conversation. His response was "Let's take care of the low hanging fruit" and addressed her breathing since she had COPD and he was also her pulmonologist. I took her to the pain management doctor next and he acknowledged receiving my fax and he said "I never see what you are discussing when she comes in". I told him...that's because she has to drive and she doesn't take her morphine when she drives. While I am discussing this with him, my mother nearly fell off of the exam table. It happened in front of him. He was holding her up and she was still falling asleep. He told me to take her to the ER. I asked him to write a letter explaining why he was sending me because me walking in with her without it, I'm just an overly paranoid daughter who is making a mountain out of mole hill. With a doctor note in hand, they took it seriously. They took her off of the morphine, she is in the hospital for five days and when she left she was amazingly alert. But it was short lived as doctors started putting her back on other medications, just not morphine.
The problem that I found was that too many doctors saw her lengthy medication list. They knew she was on all of these medications. The medications lists were reviewed at each appointment. None of them did anything, despite my concerns. Doctors need to be willing to collaborate with each other when they see patients with complex chronic conditions. The fact is, the overarching statement I heard was "I don't want to step on any toes". Because they didn't want to step on toes or interfere with the treatment plan of another doctor, my mother was over-medicated. I know I'm not the only who has dealt with this. PCP's need to be more proactive in coordinating between the specialists. And if they can't then they need to get a referral for someone who can. Eventually, my mother was assigned to an Extensivist due to numerous complex problems.
This is only one of many problems, or dare I say one of the many horrors, I encountered in caring for my mother. An aggressive fungal infection in her lung is what eventually led to respiratory failure and her death. Our system in the US is horrifying.
I forgot one important thing. I advised everybody to never ever fill many harmful med prescrips. However, it is important that we also remember that once a powerful med has been filled and taken, it can possibly be dangerous to suddenly discontinue it.i do not know the answers for someone already taking one or more prescrips. I do advise everyone toread your article very carefully and also do a lot of research on each med.i also do advis everybody to just not ever start any meds untill you have carefully researched them first.God bless you every one!
It doesn't really matter that the pharmacist sees a problem with the med combinations or the insurance company flags your meds as "dangerous combination, consult physician" when the physicians just shrug their shoulders and say, "Well, you need this med, can't take you off of it."
Thank you for this very good article. i am 86, healthy, strong, med fre, supplement free, and pain free.I threw away prescriptions for lipitor, thiazide, fosomax, and vicodin without ever filling them when I was in my 60's.that is why I am alive and well today. I brought down my cholesterol level and blood pressure by eating a cupful of barely boiled old fashioned oats with fruit, nuts, and cinnamon every morning. I had successful knee replacements. Narcotics along with delaying surgery would have caused the infection in my damaged knee joints to apreadto the rest of my body. excellent surgery plus a lot of amoxyllin healed me. Good food is also good mediine. i eat alot of real true pure maple syrup every day. It is like delicious medicine. i never eat white sugar nor processed foods. i also do not drink sodas. i ignored silly orders to limit whole eggs and or whole milk. I eat at least one or more whole eggs every day.At 65, my cholesterol was 210. It is still 210 today. My blood pressure is consistantly 120/70.Everybody stay away from meds especially statins, diuretics, or narcotics.God bless you all.
Does anyone have any experience with Zyprexa being used to treat elderly dementia patients? My mom of 90 years was one of those rare seniors who was on no medication whatsoever. She was physically healthy. I placed her in a short-term "geri-psych" unit due to dementia related issues. She was there 22 days and set to be released when she suddenly became ill overnight. She died a week ago today. Her symptoms all point directly to Zyprexa, which is not FDA approved for use with elderly dementia patients - in fact there were warnings issued against its use with the elderly.
Ask the pharmacist for a quarterly review of medications, they are trained and qualified to advise and have all medications on file. Ask for recommendations on whether to continue certain medications and for any contraindications that could be risky. They can also suggest different dosages/medications in lieu of current meds that may treat certain illnesses more effective or at a reduced cost. Seniors typically continue to use the same pharmacy and most have at least a friendly, long known pharmacist that would be more than willing to help. Most pharmaceutical software checks for such recommendations on an on going basis, so take advantage of it and 99% of the time, there isn't a charge, its the law and their responsibility.
Very good advice, indeed, except that MIL doesn't listen. MIL KNOWS EVERYTHING so she self-medicates and plays doctor with her husband's meds as well. So, this is great advice IF and only IF elders are willing to listen and take advice from 'just the kids' (read, what the heck do we know?)
a very helpful tool is using the mednotes medication tool. Every time they add another drug to my dad I can add it to his profile on mednotes and it gives drug interactions with his current prescriptions and with his conditions.
It saved him a few times from taking things one doctor prescribed that would make his glaucoma worse. His IOP was so bad and then the ENT doctor prescribed something for allergies that would have been very dangerous to me dads already bad eyesight. My dad has 20 different prescriptions and other things given to him each day and I have found this service a life saver and so much information.
My mom is on the generic for Lexapro (Celexa ?) but she only takes half. The whole one put her right out. She is much less anxious, nervous, fidgity, & depressed since she's been on it about 2 years now. She's quite the sleeper now, but not sure whether it's a combination of her meds, or a symptom of dementia. She's 88. Hope this helps.
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Polypharmacy in the Elderly: Taking Too Many Medications Can Be Risky
I'm going with for her next appointment. There are some instances when a doctor is little more than a highly paid drug dealer.
I'm not gonna lie. My mother battled issues with addiction. She had spinal surgery and she told the surgeon she did not want narcotics because of her issues with addiction and she was hooked on morphine immediately after. All the surgeon said was "oops". He had not checked her entire file and her notation of her history of addiction.
In 2018, her medication list was up to around 20 meds, including both the extended and immediate forms of morphine combined with other pain medications. She could not stay awake during my weekly visits. She fell asleep in her food, nearly slipped under a table at a restaurant when I stepped away to use the restroom. She would fall asleep in the car and hover over the gear shift and I'd have to constantly push her back in her sitting while driving. I wrote letters, sent faxes, called the doctors. I told them what I was seeing. None of them were willing to "interfere with another doctor's care plan". She had 11 doctors. 11 doctors not wanting to interfere with the others. So they would not take her off the medications and the ones the prescribed... well they would consider reducing them.
When she had scheduled appointments on the same day for both her primary care physician and her pain management doctor, I decided to go with her to both. I again voiced my concerns about her sleepiness. While waiting for her PCP she fell asleep and almost fell out of her chair, but when he came in, she engaged in conversation. His response was "Let's take care of the low hanging fruit" and addressed her breathing since she had COPD and he was also her pulmonologist. I took her to the pain management doctor next and he acknowledged receiving my fax and he said "I never see what you are discussing when she comes in". I told him...that's because she has to drive and she doesn't take her morphine when she drives. While I am discussing this with him, my mother nearly fell off of the exam table. It happened in front of him. He was holding her up and she was still falling asleep. He told me to take her to the ER. I asked him to write a letter explaining why he was sending me because me walking in with her without it, I'm just an overly paranoid daughter who is making a mountain out of mole hill. With a doctor note in hand, they took it seriously. They took her off of the morphine, she is in the hospital for five days and when she left she was amazingly alert. But it was short lived as doctors started putting her back on other medications, just not morphine.
The problem that I found was that too many doctors saw her lengthy medication list. They knew she was on all of these medications. The medications lists were reviewed at each appointment. None of them did anything, despite my concerns. Doctors need to be willing to collaborate with each other when they see patients with complex chronic conditions. The fact is, the overarching statement I heard was "I don't want to step on any toes". Because they didn't want to step on toes or interfere with the treatment plan of another doctor, my mother was over-medicated. I know I'm not the only who has dealt with this. PCP's need to be more proactive in coordinating between the specialists. And if they can't then they need to get a referral for someone who can. Eventually, my mother was assigned to an Extensivist due to numerous complex problems.
This is only one of many problems, or dare I say one of the many horrors, I encountered in caring for my mother. An aggressive fungal infection in her lung is what eventually led to respiratory failure and her death. Our system in the US is horrifying.
Sue
It saved him a few times from taking things one doctor prescribed that would make his glaucoma worse. His IOP was so bad and then the ENT doctor prescribed something for allergies that would have been very dangerous to me dads already bad eyesight. My dad has 20 different prescriptions and other things given to him each day and I have found this service a life saver and so much information.
My mom is on the generic for Lexapro (Celexa ?) but she only takes half. The whole one put her right out. She is much less anxious, nervous, fidgity, & depressed since she's been on it about 2 years now. She's quite the sleeper now, but not sure whether it's a combination of her meds, or a symptom of dementia. She's 88. Hope this helps.
Cajean