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She has been prescribed aricept and citralopram for "cognitive disorder"
This has been a problem for us for years now. We KNOW that she is not able to take her medication correctly (there's proof by seeing un-consumed meds in a drawer, etc). The little M/T/W/TH/F pill boxes don't help her. She needs someone to physically give them to her and therein lies the problem. I get it, it's an insult to have someone give them to you, to hear that you can't do it on your own.
She insists that she can handle them on her own. Over the past few years, I have: pleaded (even got on my knees at one point), cried, threatened to let her 95 y.o. mother know that her daughter is not following doc's written orders..all in an attempt to let us administer her meds for her. "Hey, we're making it easy for you. You don't have to worry about them now."
After an appt with her doctor, she'll usually let my dad handle the meds for a few days/weeks but then she takes them back and puts them into her desk drawer where she may or may not take them.
This last time, I had my dad put them behind locked doors and she went along with this for over a month (a new record) but they had an argument and he gave in.
I CAN NOT have the "medication" discussion with her again. I give up. They don't seem to be doing her one iota of good anyway and only cause tension between her and me/my dad.
Who knows, maybe we'll see improvement in her mood since she's gotten some sense of "control" back.
I guess the purpose of my post is to vent but would love to hear from anyone who has dealt with a similar situation.
Well - I really don't know exactly what these drugs are or what they do. "cognitive disorder" - that does not seem like a very specific term or illness. It might be possible that she simply does not want to take them. You mentioned that they really do not help much for what ails her. Personally I would hate to take anything that would alter my brain chemistry. Maybe you should let nature take it's course. No matter what your mother probably knows what is good for her. Don't worry so much - go to the doctor and ask the simple question...Does she really need these pills? ALso- find out exactly what they are prescribed for and what the side effects are.
Well - I really don't know exactly what these drugs are or what they do. "cognitive disorder" - that does not seem like a very specific term or illness. It might be possible that she simply does not want to take them. You mentioned that they really do not help much for what ails her. Personally I would hate to take anything that would alter my brain chemistry. Maybe you should let nature take it's course. No matter what your mother probably knows what is good for her. Don't worry so much - go to the doctor and ask the simple question...Does she really need these pills? ALso- find out exactly what they are prescribed for and what the side effects are.
The aricept is for alzheimers. She hasn't officially been diagnosed with Alz but the doctor put her on it to see if it would help. From what the doctor said, if we saw a positive effect, then she likely has alzheimers. We saw no improvement.
Citralopram was for depression/mood. Saw no improvement there either.
I like what you say about nature taking it's course. And if she can go through this in a better mood, all the better.
((((HUGS)))) to you Atina! Situations like this are why so many people end up having to be put in LTC facilities. For some folks, especially in the older generations, it is hard to get them to take their meds. Many of these people lived their lives taking nothing more than an aspirin and more recently, Tylenol for pain. If she doesn't feel "sick" or "pain" she probably doesn't see any need for medication.
You do what you can and that goes for your father as well. You've tried and you're still trying. It's entirely possible that she sees no benefit from taking them, so why bother? She may be feeling side effects from those meds that she does NOT like, therefore....why take something that makes you feel bad. If she is cognitively impaired, yes...rationalizing with her is going to be difficult.
Another poster said, "Let nature run its course." Sometimes, that's the hardest thing in the world to do. Frankly, those medications are not necessary for her physical health, in fact, they could just be making her health worse. Just do what you can to keep her hydrated and well nourished. Sometimes, that's the best you can do.
If the Aricept isn't improving her situation, I'd ditch it. If the citalopram isn't working I would certainly let the doctor know. Not every antidepressant works for everyone, she may simply need a switch. The one thing I would caution is that it cannot be simply discontinued, it should be titrated down and then stopped. I know, she won't take it anyway - I guess if she were going to have problems with withdrawing from it you would have seen it by now.
I'm ready to go through the fire on this one - I know my view is not popular or well received. My MIL was exactly like your mom. I don't know how many meds your mom is on, but here's what we did: we simply found an ache or pain or problem that she complained of on a regular basis...found an old Rx bottle for something else, and put her necessary med in that and told her "here's what the doctor wants you to take for your osteoarthritis". She had arthritis and constantly complained about it, and I'm sure she did hurt. She also had some dementia going on and just kept herself ramped up all the time. The doctor prescribed something for it (can't remember, 12 years ago) but she simply would not take that med. We put it in an old bottle of the arthritis med and told her it was a long-acting arthritis drug she could only take once a day and presto! She not only took it, but her arthritis pain improved. We also had a bottle of sugar pills in some sort of container and she could just take those at will as a "booster" for her regular meds.
The only caution is that people dispensing need to have a really good concept of what is "real" and what isn't so there are no serious mix ups. But you can probably get several kinds of sugar pills so that they aren't all the same size and shape. When we couldn't swing that, we used dry Easter egg dye - put some pills in a cup with some red dye and shook it around and they turned kinda pink. It worked for us.
I know, I know - it was not honest, probably not ethical in a lot of people's eyes, and that's okay with me. We did what we did to make the situation work and I'll not apologize for it. It was our solution and it kept the med fights to a minimum....took a little creative thinking and the cooperation of the pharmacist and physician, but they knew what we were dealing with and worked with us - the only other choice was to put her in a care facility and we were trying hard to manage things at home at that point.
Sam....it isn't ethical and in a "facility" setting, is highly illegal. The bottom line though, if it's WORKING and you're HELPING...that's kind of what really counts, isn't it? Good for you, that you figured out a way of making it work!
I actually think that is a great idea for a dementia sufferer. I really, really wish we had thought of that during my MIL's decline. (She is now in a care facility for dementia, but when she was in a "regular" ALF, the caregivers could not get her to take her meds and nothing we said made a difference.)
OK, I'd not be so quick to advise you to stop either med wihout talking to your doctor. So you don't see an improvement with the Aricept. Is it prescribed to slow the dementia's progression, or is it prescribed to improve it? If the other med is not helping with behavior, which is what it is prescribed to do, then I'd go back to the doc and have her re evaluated.
My mom didn't take her meds either, and we had to have her live in assisted care. A few years ago, she began refusing her meds again, and she ended up in the hospital--an event we have reminded her about from time to time, when she complains too much about taking meds.
In her case I was concerned about her having a stroke with could have disabled her. In your case, you aren't sure if the meds are doing any good. But that's the problem with dementia. It will progress no matter what. (I believe that there are some diseases that show symptoms like Alzheimer's that can be treated.)
I'd want to know what sort of dementia she had. Is it vascular dementa, Lewy body dementia (Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) | Signs, Symptoms, & Diagnosis) or some other disorder. It is hard for me to understand docs who prescribe meds like this without knowing more about the condition. You might need to find a geriatrician or neurologist.
I don't think your mother's actions are all that unusual in dementia. It won't do any good to reason with her, because she can't be reasoned with. (Another symptom of dementia) Your dad needs support here. Talk to him about how he feels--probably frustrated and helpless--and use that Alzheimer's 24 hour helpline I keep telling everyone about.
You are getting on your knees, crying, and threatening your mother because she doesn't take these meds?
Unacceptable.
Let go and let Dad deal with her. In your several threads we have all given suggestions and he can implement them if he and your Mom wish.
Doesn't mean you can't support your Dad. But let them deal with it and you can be there to support them as they work through things. Obviously you are distraught and wanting to help but maybe you can just stand aside and get strong for when they do need you.
Have you taken aricept? Well, if you haven't, let me just say you would be required to wear diapers and pads for the intestine dump that comes without warning. It is horrible what it does to the body and if it isn't helping her, maybe she is wise not to take it. Hate to get graphic, but I am not sure you have picked up on how difficult a medicine this is on the body.
My Dad had Lewi Body Disease dementia, my Mom has Alzheimers as did her sister. So I know how you must be feeling and how you want to help. But sometimes you can't help other than be there when needed.
I know, I know - it was not honest, probably not ethical in a lot of people's eyes, and that's okay with me. We did what we did to make the situation work and I'll not apologize for it. It was our solution and it kept the med fights to a minimum....took a little creative thinking and the cooperation of the pharmacist and physician, but they knew what we were dealing with and worked with us - the only other choice was to put her in a care facility and we were trying hard to manage things at home at that point.
It's very hard to work with people that have dementia and Alzheimer's I'm glad you found a way to help you MIL I'm sure if she was able to understand why you choose to do what you did she would be thankful that you had her best interest at heart you did what you did out of love and people with Dementia and Alzheimer's live in their own world and the best thing you can do is bend the truth to help them to stay safe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by silibran
OK, I'd not be so quick to advise you to stop either med wihout talking to your doctor. So you don't see an improvement with the Aricept. Is it prescribed to slow the dementia's progression, or is it prescribed to improve it? If the other med is not helping with behavior, which is what it is prescribed to do, then I'd go back to the doc and have her re evaluated.
My mom didn't take her meds either, and we had to have her live in assisted care. A few years ago, she began refusing her meds again, and she ended up in the hospital--an event we have reminded her about from time to time, when she complains too much about taking meds.
In her case I was concerned about her having a stroke with could have disabled her. In your case, you aren't sure if the meds are doing any good. But that's the problem with dementia. It will progress no matter what. (I believe that there are some diseases that show symptoms like Alzheimer's that can be treated.)
I'd want to know what sort of dementia she had. Is it vascular dementa, Lewy body dementia (Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) | Signs, Symptoms, & Diagnosis) or some other disorder. It is hard for me to understand docs who prescribe meds like this without knowing more about the condition. You might need to find a geriatrician or neurologist.
I don't think your mother's actions are all that unusual in dementia. It won't do any good to reason with her, because she can't be reasoned with. (Another symptom of dementia) Your dad needs support here. Talk to him about how he feels--probably frustrated and helpless--and use that Alzheimer's 24 hour helpline I keep telling everyone about.
24/7 Helpline: 1.800.272.3900
Very good advice TALK to your mothers doctor make sure she is seeing a doctor that specializes in geriatrics,
a neurologist, or a physician who works out of a memory clinic also senior can have UTIs that caused dementia like symptoms. Dad needs help and you may want to look into home health care for mom and dad (staying in a familiar environment will help her) home health is less expensive and can be tailored to your parents needs. FYI they make watches that will alert her to take her meds as she progresses there is a system that dispenses the meds so your mom can keep her independence as long as possible Medication Reminder System (Dispenser) | LinkedIn it's okay to talk to her and remind her that soon she will need more help and that she has helped other now it is time for her to be helped. Mothers were the caretakers so keep that in mind and reassure her that its okay to allow help, her generation was brought up to do it yourself . Try to remember that it is hard for everyone you, your dad, your mom, find a support group near you. Mom is losing her independence and she is scared to loose her memories and abilities. I wish you all the best and I will pray for you and your family
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you did what you did out of love and people with Dementia and Alzheimer's live in their own world and the best thing you can do is bend the truth to help them to stay safe.
