Morning all.

[houghchrst]

Today is Saturday and I always breathe a sigh of relief when the little one goes to bed on Friday evening. My mother is home from the hospital yesterday. She spent almost 3 days in a fugue state, living in a world of bloody images and preparing and attending her own funeral, compliments of her meds. Putting the kibosh on that. Have been on the phone and sending emails for four days with docs and nurses and PT and home care people. She didn't even know where she was until late Thursday evening and was devastated. She has no memory of anything from Tuesday evening until late Thursday. She is seriously depressed and is still suffering from 2 fractured vertebrae that were injured when she fell in Sept. This is the second time this has happened since September with the fugue state, only this one lasted longer. Look at this and tell me what kind of doc would prescribe these to a 62 yr old, depressed, alcoholic, bedridden, hypertensive woman with a myriad of other problems, all to be taken before bedtime,

GABAPENTIN 300MG ONE 3 X A DAY
COZAAR 50MG 1 AT NIGHT
DARVOCET N-100 1 EVERY 6 HOURS AS NEEDED FOR PAIN
OXYCODONE 20MG 1 3 X A DAY
TRAZADONE 150MG AT NIGHT

The scrip for the Gabapentin originally was for one at night.

The Darvocet was only meant for BT pain but I don't know if she is taking every six hours or not, will ask.

Oxy bottle says one in am and one in pm.

Trazadone I have hidden I have no idea why the dweeb would allow her to take this with all these other meds. There are alternatives, safer ones.

I will also take the Darvocet, I am interested in seeing what her docs response will be to my email. I am no doc but I am familiar enough with meds and my mother to know that there is a problem here. The big problem is that her PCP doc moved and she was right in the middle of looking for a new one so she was going by his recommendations, then fell and went to hospital and got a whole med overhaul, then get's a visiting physician and in the meantime she has all these meds and she has no idea what to take and what not to. So I will see that this gets taken care of and keep her pill minder filled and throw away all the rest. This is the med list that the visiting physician's nurse emailed me.

GLYCOLAX 17 GM EVERYDAY
GABAPENTIN 300MG ONE 3 X A DAY
ASA 81 MG 1 EVERYDAY
TENORMIN 50MG 1 EVERY AM
COZAAR 50MG 1 AT NIGHT
DARVOCET N-100 1 EVERY 6 HOURS AS NEEDED FOR PAIN
OXYCODONE 20MG 1 3 X A DAY
GLYBURIDE 2.5MG 1 EVERY AM
NEXIUM 40MG 1 EVERYDAY
WELLBUTRIN 150MG 1 2 X A DAY
PROCARDIA XL 90MG 1 EVERY AM
THIAMINE 100MG 1 EVERY AM
CRESTOR 10MG 1 EVERYDAY
TRAZADONE 150MG AT NIGHT
B12 2500MCG 1 EVERYDAY
ADVAIR DISCUS 250/50 1 PUFF 2 X A DAY



Actually i am not familiar enough with all the blood pressure meds and others to see if they are having any major conflicting problems. I did do a med interaction scan and got a lot of red and yellow flagging so I will take it too her and see what she says. The Darvocet seems to be the worst culprit.
Well I guess that is all I have to say for now. My 15 yr old bipolar, ADD son wants to come home for a bit, I miss him but seriously could do without the chaos today.



I just want to rest and watch a movie and read and color :D. I want to lay around and rest my brain and my aching body, make a pot of tea :D. I will do the best that I can. You are all so kind and caring I enjoy coming here because of it. Thank you.

(((((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))

http://bestsmileys.com/flowers/8.gif

[Buttons2]

Wow, I'm not familiar with most of those meds but seems like an overload to me! She needs to take folic acid with the B12 (and B1,B6 actually) Get better info on the vit forum here.

If any of these are a diuretic she needs to eat a banana or drink OJ to keep her potassium level good.

Crestor is for what? I see it advertised all the time but I tend to be very negative about drug ads. If it's for cholesterol maybe try niacin instead?

Hope you told your son this is NOT the best time for a visit!! You need some rest!!

HUGS,Buttons

[joy]

Hi there. I sent you a private message. If you do not take private messages, I will resend it to you here. Just let me know okay?

[Fig]

Wow!! What a mess! (not to mention being over medicated). Did the doc(s) not consult for interactions? I am familiar with some of these medications (even take some myself). Some are for pain--Darvocet and Oxycodin (a heavy duty med). Trazadone, anantidepressant is now commonly used for sleep. Wellbutrin for depression. Nexium is a stomach med. The others you mentioned are, I believe for asthma, diabetes, cholesterol? Forgive me if I'm mixed up.

I'm 61 and take a load of meds myself---Celexa,Buspar, Topamax, Inderal, Darvocet and Pravastatin--oh yes, and Ambien.

I'm sure you're having her closely monitered and hopefully re-evaluated. Perhaps the dosages need adjusting. I'm glad she has you to look after things ffor her. Good luck. Be sure to get your rest and look after what YOU need. Marion

[Tootsie]

I hope that you are able to get your mom to see a geriatric internist fairly soon. That list of medication really needs to be reviewed, monitored and evaluated on a regular basis. I do know that frequently, the first thing a doctor might do is discontinue all medication, for a period of time and then gradually reintroduce some of them, as the need is demonstrated.

Older adults can react so differently to these powerful drugs that caution always needs to be used when they are prescribed. Cheerio.

[houghchrst]

Hi all, some are for high blood pressure, cholesterol I believe and kidney disease. I did some research and found that the Darvocet may have been the main culprit as it showed unfavorable interactions with many of her meds. When I got there to show her the printout and told her what it said she said her nurse had just left and told her to stop taking the Darvocet. So no Darvocet or Deseryl thank God. She is feeling a little better and I will go later to cheer her up and visit for a bit most likely. Thank you all.

Tootsie it never occured to me that her age would affect how she reacts to some of these meds but it makes perfect sense. I can just see the look on her face if I mention a geriatric internist LOL. some of her meds can't be discontinued but some may be able to. I did email her docs nurse to let her know what is going on and the visiting nurse will also contact them.

Fig, I don't know what the doc was thinking and I think a lot of it was my mother's confusion and insistance to me that her original doc's med list was what she was supposed to stay on and I have no idea what she told her new doc. I would like to be there and ask questions but she gets mad because she thinks I am treating her like she is not capable. Well by golly these days her capability is a little in question.

Buttons, the doc did want her take B12 but never said how much, we figured start at 1,000 mcg but when I went to get it they were all out and the wonderful pharmacist gave me a bottle of 2,500mcg which I thought was high but hey he is the pharmacist, so the doc said it was too much and it was discontinued near the 30th of Oct. She is taking B1 and has been for about a month. Also, my son is 15 and has been staying with his grandmother because when he is here there is such chaos for him that we all wind up fighting and in a constant state of tenseness (is that a word? lol) and I feel horrible about it so when he wants to come I never tell him he can't. We are very close and whenever he feels the need to be home then I welcome him whether I am kind of dreading it or not. I would never want him to feel that he is not wanted here. He is very sensitive and as it is I think his drug addict father and his very bitter grandmother are plotting some scheme to try to get guardianship. Won't happen so I try not to stress myself out about it though I was in a panic for about a week. He didn't stay long as he was going to spend the night with a friend and he knew I wasn't feeling well so he is caring enough to be mellow.

Thank you all so much for the support. Soon I will have to do a little things
post lol.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS ALL}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

[Buttons2]

Good,sounds like you're on the right track with her meds. Glad you explained more about your son,I think all of us here put YOUR health & well being as the #1priority.

This will be a much better week ahead for you!
HUGS back Buttons

[JAVISI]

Christina,
I am so glad things are going better. Some of the meds will need to be tapered off espoecially if she has taken them for a lonhg time. She could go through ithdrawl if taken off of the Darvocet abruptly. Mnay of these meds can cause confusion. When I worked in a Nusing home at times we would do a drug holiday. Take them off all of their meds for a day then the next day give them only the meds that they absolutly need, then slowly give some meds back if needed but stop the meds that are no longer needed. I was always amazed at how well the patienmts would do and how the confusion would slowly lift on some of the patients. I wish I could say all but some stayed in the confused state due to their illness.

Greaming Big and Reaching for the Stars, Javisi;)

[bluesky63]

Hi there -- I hope you've gotten your situation more under control by now. It sounds stressful enough without all the meds to wonder about!

I wanted to mention more questions for the doctor. I would ask if it's possible that the Nexium could affect the absorption of any of the meds, depending on the timing of when you take it. I found that when I took Nexium, it affected my Baclofen, and I needed to take them at different times instead of both together.

Also, is the gabapentin new? When I took that, it made me hallucinate, so I stopped it pretty quickly and switched to a different anti-seizure med. I wondered if the increase in dosage could have contributed to the problems.

Good luck with everything. :-)

[JAVISI]

Just thought I would post a few lines because I am wondering how things are going! Did your son come for a visit? If he did how did that go? I hope fine! You have a lot on your plate right now, My mopther is an alcoholic. I dread the day when she will need to be cared for.:( .

Let us know how you are doing!:confused:
Dream Big and Reach for the Stars, Javi;)

[houghchrst]

Hi all. So far this Saturday morning I feel okay. A little achey. I have decided on the advice of my therapist to take a step back from the situation for my own mental health. I have three brothers, two of which have girlfriends so taking everything upon myself was just killing me. I talk to my mom almost everyday and see her a couple times a week so I have not dropped out totally. I think that she kind of reached a point where she was somewhat comfortable with everybody waiting on her and not changing the way she thought and her behavior, kind of waiting for it to all get better without taking a proactive role. After what happened on Halloween she has had a change of heart. It terrified her. She felt really bad for what she put us, me in particular, through. She and I are very close and always have been and she knows that I am the one out of all the kids that feels this whole situation on a different level than the others. Not to mention my own mental illness and my physical health going downhill. Thanksgiving is coming and I was ready to crawl in a hole because I knew everyone was waiting to see what I was going to do. It has always been me. I am so tired. I was dreading having to make the arrangements, do so much cooking and planning. So in my therapy session I happen to realize that Kroger has premade Thanksgiving meals that are quite good and my therapist convinced me to ask my mom about it. So I called her and she was all for it and said she would take care of it. We have had them before but I was younger and circumstances were different. I think this is a wonderful idea. I feel so much freeer (LOL is that a word?). So all I have to do is go and setup. She said she has been getting up more and moving around. She has a wheelchair, I made sure of that, and she has a walker, that too. She will be doing physical therapy now since she lied to me and the therapist to get out of it last time around. Just found this out during her last hospital stay. So from that end things are doing better. As for the meds they are being better monitored and there is no longer any confusion as to what is to be taken. As for the Nexium I have the same rules with the Prilosec that I take. I have no idea if any of hers do. I know that they often affect the Neurontin. She has been taking that for a couple of years but I don't know of the timing. I think she takes the Nexium in the AM. I will ask, thanks.


Me myself not so good. I believe I am having a Fibro flare, the last two days have been bad and it feels like today will be another. I am new to all this but that is all that I can think of. By mid day I start to hurt really bad, it starts in one or two places like my upper back and wrists and hands then just gets worse from there. By early evening I am in agony and in tears and can do almost nothing except lay in bed and cry. I don't have any prescribed meds for breakthrough pain, just taking my 100mg of Ultram 2x a day and that is reaching a point where it is not working so well. I do have a couple non prescribed meds but I do not like to take those unless absolutely necessary so they are few and far between. Last night I managed to grit my teeth til bedtime then took a sleeping pill and actually got a decent night sleep. I have been fighting with the docs to get help and the insurance and surprisingly the insurance is not the one screwing things up, it is the doctors that are resistant and the office people that are inefficient. I am sure you all don't want to hear about that.

It is cloudy here yet again. I don't think the sun has shone here since last Sunday. Rainy, windy, cold. I don't do so will without sunshine so that may be part of the problem with my mood and I don't know if it is possible but wonder if the weather can affect my fibro. So here i am just plodding my way through another day. I am glad to hear that so many of you care enough to ask about me, it makes me feel good and brings a smile to my day.

My son did come over but didn't stay long. We talk almost everyday and he usually visits at least once a week. I miss him yet I am glad that with everything going on he is not here for both of our sakes.

Hey the sun popped out, yeah!!!! Alright, I am done. I am sorry it seems like all I have is complaining. I am alive and mobile and have a wonderful family so I am grateful for that. Bet after this long post you are sorry you asked LOL.

Have a great day all.

(((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))

[joy]

well hurray for several thing here. i say posting things here is fair game. now if it was all on one personal pm to someone that puts it in one person's lap to worry about. but here on a board where everyone can read it i say it is okay as if i am down. i can just wait a bit and see if someone else is up enought that day to try and help. does that make any sense at all? i hope so because we all need to vent and if doing it like this is the right way to do it, then i have a place to vent when i need it as well.

That is sorta like how you let everyone else have a chance to help with your mother. i found out as long as i was willing to do everything myself, everyone was willing to let me!!

I have used your ideal about how to have a family get-to-gether before and found it to work really well. I love having those gatherings. Can't say as we always still have them but I love it when we do. If you start having them hit or miss, i found it often turns into not having them at all.

I started off with fibromyalgia and as other things happened to my body I find that I have to have many many rest periods to keep going. It is either that or else. There comes a point when you medicate that all you end up doing is sleep anyway. So try frequent rest periods. Getting some done a little at a time is preferable to not getting anything done. Don't you finally push so hard getting things done that after that chore you can't move for days? Then it all piles back up to just an almost undoable chore again. I hate it but that's how it happens all the time with me.

I agree the weather plays a big part in our life. If it is cold my muscles just don't want to move at all. And just being able to see that good old sunshine outside makes me feel better. I frequently post the weather conditions when I post and just now realised that I do that!

Have you ever tried those ThermaCare patches things? I find them very helpful on my back etc. when I get so stiff. I also have a TENS machine that helps my muscles. I seem to have muscles in places I never dreamed about and they all hurt and want to make it hard for me to move moist all the time.

And it is a pretty good thing to have friends of all ages in places we've never been! That brings a smile to my face also just know that others feel the same way. And it costs so little! It may be the best bargin any of us will ever find and that is pretty amazing in itself. I hope you have an enjoyable weekend Christina.


(((((HUGS)))))