Tricks for nighttime meds?

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rocketjcat Asked March 2018

Tricks for nighttime meds?

My Mom in NH is usually pretty good in the morning and afternoon as far as taking her meds for the LPNs. They are ground and in pudding or applesauce. I’ve watched them and it seems to go pretty routinely. I am getting reports that she’s spitting out her nighttime meds...which includes her melatonin for sleep and her ultram and Tylenol for pain. Then she doesn’t sleep very well. After a few attempts the LPNs can’t/won’t keep trying since the mantra is they can’t tell how much she actually kept in her mouth. My question is does anyone have some good tricks? Should I ask them to put it in her food or ice cream? I’m wondering if she even needs the ultram because she doesn’t seem any worse off the next day after spitting it out.

Medication Management Medications Refusing Care

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score 0 · Answer 1

This is a pretty important issue in my opinion. Your mom’s 92 years old. Can you imagine her aches and pains? I’m 64 and in constant pain. I try hard to put myself in my poor 86 year old mom’s place. (We both have arthritis.)

Possibly her Ultram, Tylenol and melatonin can be given to her during or immediately after her evening meal. What is her favorite desserts? That might help. Or if you’re able drop by after dinner and see if mom wants to cooperate with you?

But try to get her Nitey nite meds down her and she’ll rest better. I have a dread my mother is suffering and I can’t bear it. It must be all the sleepless nights that I’ve suffered. I don’t know.

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score 2 · Answer 2

My wife is like that. When in rehab she would find the small chunks of the pills and spit that out.
At home I have been using a mortar and pedistal to grind the pills into a powder and mix it with ice cream. She will eat that and never find small chunks.
She hates applesauce. The pill crushers would not work because of the chunks. We also got her to take some by telling her it was her vitamins.
Best of luck.

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score 1 · Answer 3

Thanks for the responses.
Isthisrealyreal...they do the same thing at night as they do the other times...the difference is the LPNs would be different, and Mom is more confused at night.
Gardengurl, thanks for the jam idea. She does complain about the ground texture, so maybe the jam would help.
I will speak to her Nurse Practitioner tomorrow to review the times she’s spit out the night meds and see if I could even discontinue some. She was really good today without having any last night.

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score 2 · Answer 4

Try using jam instead of pudding. The sweetness from the jam should help cover the taste of the pill. Also, the seeds in the jam create texture to help disguise any chunks of pill. Maybe her new nighttime treat can be toast with jam and she won't even have to know she is taking any pills.

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score 1 · Answer 5

Can they not do the same thing at night as they do in the am and afternoon? Pudding or apple sauce seems to work for those two doses, why would they not follow that regiment when they know it avoids this very issue.

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score 2 · Answer 6

Ask the nurse how else to dispense the pills. Mom is sinking fast and she has a lot of trouble swallowing pills. Her LPN went through Mom's meds list and indicated which ones could be crushed, which ones could be cut up, which ones could be opened up and pour in the contents (extended release capsules), and even one that could be disregarded (a One-A-Day multivitamin).

All of that I put in pudding (evening) or yogurt (Activia) in the morning. Since she likes her Activia and pudding, that's worked well.

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Tricks for nighttime meds?

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