Hello everyone, hope you are well. While mom was in rehab for physical therapy, I had a geropsych doctor see her. He changed her meds around because he thought she was to drowsy. He stopped her Alprazolam and put her on Buspar, decreased her Depakote once a day at night and decreased her Citalopram. The only problem is he kept her on Temezapam which is making her drowsy during the day. So as of last night I'm done with that... I'm not giving her Restoril. She is still to drowsy in the am and won't get out of bed, so I just kept her on her pain pills. Could she be having withdrawls from the Alprazolam? She is mean, angry and noncompliant ( more than usual)... I know the Temezepam is a benzodiazepines also and I think it's to much with the Buspar 5 mg three times a day. Has anyone ever been through this med switch? She's driving me crazy... and the drive is a short trip.
Since I know about 90% are on antipsychotic drugs
I don't believe it is just the progression of the disease
My mother suffered from severe anxiety with MCI and later dementia. Only a thoughtfully prescribed cocktail of SSRI, SNRI and anaxiolytic was able to keep her non agitated.
I told her docs that I would find it as unacceptable to find her agitated and weeping as I would to find her doped up, but that if there HAD to be a choice, she'd be sleepy and not agitated.
In dementia, in eldercare, it's usually a matter of the least bad choice.
I just tried to write and then I think my reply was lost so here goes again. I have had the same problem with Opioid drugs for pain and all the other medications sent my mother into a Dementia patient talking absolute nonsense and being really agressive, confused and a totally different person - only to be told its dementia - right!
Use anything you can from Alternative. My mother was on 8 Paracetamol during day and pain worse at night and trying all sorts of horrible drugs. My breakthrough was finding a Homeopath - the right one. She made me up a pain mix ( I was a little dubious if it would work) my goodness it was instant no more pain medication.
Plus I also used an Acupuncturist to help as well.
My mother gets allergies and I used Piriton antihistamine the side effect is it makes you drowsy so that helped at one point. I would use Valerian tincture 10ml to promote relaxation and sleep (Valerian is a natural tranquillizer) Sedative herbal teas.
There is a TENS machine to look into
But use the Natural Therapies
You need to get her off those drugs as soon as you can
I saw there is a BEERS List created by some Doctors to list drugs that SHOULD NOT be given to elderly - Temazapam is on there
There are more elderly dying of the drugs given than the complaints they go in with
Get a Qi Gong Master to see her
There is Reiki - and Pranic Healing too as well as just plain spiritual healing
Pain can relate to guilt
There are a lot of levels to healing explore them all and do not get caught into the mainstream is the only way it is not.
My mothers condition was made massively worse through the management and the rediculous overuse of powerful Morphine etc luckily I have knowledge of other ways but it was a desperate time to start until I found the right people
Good luck and God bless you and your mum
Love Paula
In getting my PhD in Clinical Psychology I had 3 required pharmacology classes required. I took two at Harvard Medical School and one at University of North Carolina School of Medicine. I can't prescribe anything, but needed the classes to do therapy with drug addictions or to understand how a medication might be acting on a person's psyche. There were medical students in those classes.
Also I am in agreement with others that a pharmacist is the expert on medications. Check with your pharmacist regarding side effects, counter indications etc.
As a general rule of thumb, the American Geriatric Society advises that no person over the age of 65 be prescribed more than three central nervous system drugs at the same time. It should be noted that the FDA has issued warnings about the use of anti-psychotic meds in the geriatric population. Haldol is the anti-psychotic most closely linked to stroke and death in patients with dementia; Seroquel comes in at Number 2. If you can find one, your best bet might be to find a geriatric psychiatrist. They are, unfortunately, a rare breed.
Please contact her dr ASAP, in the meantime, talk to her pharmacist. They are very well versed in the drug interractions...seriously, IMHO, more so than the drs.
Ask if any of those pills should have been tapered to reduce side effects.
Talk to a pharmacist about the issues
Ask to have a review of your mom's medications with a pharmacist.
Amazing how some doctors don't taper because they haven't been on that pill "that long" well, that sure has backfired on someone I know.
You can look up the meds online and read the interactions, whether it can be crushed or not and whether it needs to be tapered and educate yourself a bit on this too.
Good Luck! Oh.....Ask the Pharmacist....to review the meds.....doctors too busy....
On a side note to another poster here...my dad takes Buspar and it is NOT worthless for him. It reduces his anxiety without the side effects of a benzodiazepine on the brain
You need to be discussing these medicines with her doctor. Be her advocate there. Because none of us here have examined her or have access to her medical records and are most likely not doctors.