Hmmm. You know. We had to sign a lot of papers to get our mom on Abilify. Reviews every month. Not given without mental health consult. Are you seeing this in your state?
Nobody wants people doped out of their minds on chemical restraints, but the solution to that isn't a blanket ban - it's another one of those well meaning "solutions" that sound positive to those not sufficiently informed. I shudder to think of facilities descending into the morass of potentially violent residents roaming the halls wrecking havoc on themselves and others, not to mention their own unrelieved psychic pain. It will be so hard to fight this without being accused of jumping in bed with Big Pharma.
cwillie, You are so right! As a nurse, I've seen MANY patient's that it has taken years to get their medications to the right therapeutic dose that relieves their mental anguish, and/or helps to decrease violent or self-harming behaviors, only to have their doses decreased due to laws mandating attempts to decrease psychotropic use. This often sends the patient into a downward spiral mentally and behaviorally. Though the doctor will often increase the dosage again after several calls from nurses/families, it will often take months for the person to get back to the same level of feeling/thinking that they were previously at. I understand the intent behind the regulation, but I think lawmakers should all have to witness, firsthand, the devastating effects that mandatory reduction can have on someone's life!!!!
I suspect you'll see little words like "appropriate" and "necessary" creeping in to the legislation. What everyone is trying to do is lessen the widespread overuse and abuse of these medications, to improve dementia care by encouraging the adoption of other strategies and therapies. Motherhood and apple pie, basically - who wouldn't be for it?
Is the requirement to review your mother's px monthly causing problems? Is it not a good thing?
You are so right! As a nurse, I've seen MANY patient's that it has taken years to get their medications to the right therapeutic dose that relieves their mental anguish, and/or helps to decrease violent or self-harming behaviors, only to have their doses decreased due to laws mandating attempts to decrease psychotropic use. This often sends the patient into a downward spiral mentally and behaviorally. Though the doctor will often increase the dosage again after several calls from nurses/families, it will often take months for the person to get back to the same level of feeling/thinking that they were previously at.
I understand the intent behind the regulation, but I think lawmakers should all have to witness, firsthand, the devastating effects that mandatory reduction can have on someone's life!!!!
Is the requirement to review your mother's px monthly causing problems? Is it not a good thing?