Over the last three months we have seen a massive downturn in MiL. We thought that it coincided with FiL going into the CH and her feeling depressed about it. None of it seemed right though. She lost the will to walk and wasn't interested in anything. Back in November we celebrated her eighty ninth birthday but she wasn't really with it. She was very easily confused and anything that was said to her she didn't seem to understand
The week before Christmas the physios had started coming in again to do some exercises with her. This was through the doctor who had been popping in occasionally to see how she was and thought that some physio may help her.
Christmas just seemed a blur to her. By the Friday of New Year weekend she took a turn for the worse. When I got her up in the morning she couldn't wee. I rang for the doctor to come over that day. In the meantime the two physios came and said that they thought she may have a UTI which is what we thought.
The doctor came and said the same thing but also told us to stop the Amitriptyline which she had been prescribed to help her sleep and ease the pain in her left arm that she had been suffering from for a few months.
That night we didn't give her the Amitriptyline and by the time she was in bed there was a marked difference in her. By the Saturday morning she was like a different person (the person she had been prior to Amitriptyline).
She enjoyed New Years Eve as usual and stayed up until 2am.
The following week the two physios arrived and couldn't believe the difference in her. That was the last week of them coming as MiL was doing so well and was walking with help and basically back to where she was three months ago.
I'm absolutely horrified that this drug had caused these symptoms. The doctor also feels awful as he knows the consequences of it. When he explained this to us I couldn't breath I just wanted to scream as I'm sure that is what killed my Dad and no one knew He had been on Amitriptyline for years and was still being prescribed it in hospital His problems all started the same as MiL ie: not being able to wee. Then in hospital he started having seizures. But unfortunately I can't do anything about that now and I'm trying not to think about it.
I've read a few things about this drug over the last few days and I'm now adamant that MiL will never be given anything like this again.
I know there have been threads about this drug on here before but I've never taken any notice or read them I so wish I had. When she was first prescribed it I thought 'oh that's fine Dad was on that for years without any problems'........how wrong was that
Anyway she's fine now and we're kinda back to normal.
As usual another long thread but hopefully if it can help anyone else then it's been worth sitting here writing all of this.
The week before Christmas the physios had started coming in again to do some exercises with her. This was through the doctor who had been popping in occasionally to see how she was and thought that some physio may help her.
Christmas just seemed a blur to her. By the Friday of New Year weekend she took a turn for the worse. When I got her up in the morning she couldn't wee. I rang for the doctor to come over that day. In the meantime the two physios came and said that they thought she may have a UTI which is what we thought.
The doctor came and said the same thing but also told us to stop the Amitriptyline which she had been prescribed to help her sleep and ease the pain in her left arm that she had been suffering from for a few months.
That night we didn't give her the Amitriptyline and by the time she was in bed there was a marked difference in her. By the Saturday morning she was like a different person (the person she had been prior to Amitriptyline).
She enjoyed New Years Eve as usual and stayed up until 2am.
The following week the two physios arrived and couldn't believe the difference in her. That was the last week of them coming as MiL was doing so well and was walking with help and basically back to where she was three months ago.
I'm absolutely horrified that this drug had caused these symptoms. The doctor also feels awful as he knows the consequences of it. When he explained this to us I couldn't breath I just wanted to scream as I'm sure that is what killed my Dad and no one knew He had been on Amitriptyline for years and was still being prescribed it in hospital His problems all started the same as MiL ie: not being able to wee. Then in hospital he started having seizures. But unfortunately I can't do anything about that now and I'm trying not to think about it.
I've read a few things about this drug over the last few days and I'm now adamant that MiL will never be given anything like this again.
I know there have been threads about this drug on here before but I've never taken any notice or read them I so wish I had. When she was first prescribed it I thought 'oh that's fine Dad was on that for years without any problems'........how wrong was that
Anyway she's fine now and we're kinda back to normal.
As usual another long thread but hopefully if it can help anyone else then it's been worth sitting here writing all of this.