Undies and Aricept (separate issues!)

[Chook]

Morning morning

I've noticed that mum is getting diarrhoea quite a lot and think it's to do with the Aricept. We went to see the doc yesterday who said, yes that is a side effect but there's nothing we can do about it. Can anyone offer any advice?

Also, mum isn't changing her knickers. By the time the morning care worker gets there she's got herself dressed already and there are no knickers in the wash basket and all her clean ones still in the drawer. I've tried hanging the next day's clothes out with pants and she just ignores them. Any advice? She seems to think you should only change them if she's had an accident. I had thought about putting the days of the week in them but not sure if that'll work.

Off out to enjoy the rare sunshine now!

Chook x x

 

[2jays]

No idea about aricept

But pants!! Mum also got to thinking that she only needed to change them when they were "dirty"

I didn't live with her, so couldn't monitor them too closely.

Now she's in the care home they have confiscated her cotton pants and she only wears te*na lady pants which the carers encourage her to change at the least 3 times a day.

A battle that needs to battled. Mum ended up having very infected "lady bits" and it's taken months to get them clear of infection.

I do feel for you

 

[pamann]

My mum had the same problem, she didn't have AD but suffered a stroke l got tena lady pads they are provided through NHS there is no other alternative pants are no good, she won't like them my mother didn't, she used to take them off then mess in the chair nightmare!!!!

Sent from my GT-P5210 using Talking Point mobile app

 

[VickyG]

Morning morning

I've noticed that mum is getting diarrhoea quite a lot and think it's to do with the Aricept. We went to see the doc yesterday who said, yes that is a side effect but there's nothing we can do about it. Can anyone offer any advice?

Also, mum isn't changing her knickers. By the time the morning care worker gets there she's got herself dressed already and there are no knickers in the wash basket and all her clean ones still in the drawer. I've tried hanging the next day's clothes out with pants and she just ignores them. Any advice? She seems to think you should only change them if she's had an accident. I had thought about putting the days of the week in them but not sure if that'll work.

Off out to enjoy the rare sunshine now!

Chook x x

Hi Chook,

Aricept - Mum had this a bit too late in the day for her i'm afraid, and only took it for a short while as the side effects were too great for her ( she has Diverticulitis ), really upset her tummy so we stopped it.

Undies - Mum took to wearing 2 pairs of pants, ( a safety blanket for her i guess ) and insisted on wearing the 2 pairs at the same time. It took a while to part with the 2 pairs, and only really when she became doubly incontinent and had to wear pads all the time.

Good luck and hope you find a solution !
xx

P.S........ Forgot to add that mum used to stuff tissues in her pants also !

 

[marionq]

The only solution to the knicker changing as well as general clothes changing is to take them away every night and leave out a clean set. I whip away the old ones as soon as husband has his pyjamas on and into a laundry bag I keep in the bedroom. When his sister was taken on holiday last year she wore the same pair for a week until her cousin who was with her ordered her to remove them and put on a clean pair or she would get no dinner!! It worked.

 

[Chook]

The only solution to the knicker changing as well as general clothes changing is to take them away every night and leave out a clean set. I whip away the old ones as soon as husband has his pyjamas on and into a laundry bag I keep in the bedroom. When his sister was taken on holiday last year she wore the same pair for a week until her cousin who was with her ordered her to remove them and put on a clean pair or she would get no dinner!! It worked.

Unfortunately I'm not with mum at night time and she doesn't take them off. She keeps them on under her nightie. Hmmm, I'll have to have another think.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[stanleypj]

About the Aricept. Do you think it's helping?

I'm always surprised when doctors regard unpleasant side effects as unavoidable, particularly when the drug causing them is, at best, hit or miss.

You could try conventional treatments for diarrhoea, couldn't you? Anything is worth a try.

 

[Nebiroth]

Some poinmts occurred to me.

Has the Aricept been started or increased relatively recently? If it has then it's reasonable to consider this as a side effect. If she's been on it some time, that would give me pause for thought because this sort of thing usually becomes evident when starting out (and often settles down again, which is one reason they start on a half-dose for a month so that any side effects are minimised whilst the body adjusts itself). It would be unusual for someone to have no problems for months say and then get side effects.

Also, it depends what you mean by diarrhea. Diarrhea means passing stools more often that usual and usually (but not necessarily) looser stools as well. If this does not apply, but instead you are getting "accidents" then it could be more incontinence than diarrhea - if your mum is starting to get confused about what the feeling of going to the loo means or not being able to find her way to one.

If this is a persistent problem then you need to go back to your doctor. Not least because persistent diarrhea and espescially with loose stools can be a sign of a more serious underlying problem - the older someone is the more of a warning sign these symtpoms are presumed to be. Naturally, you need to go back right away if she starts to pass blood as well, or loses weight - neither of these are ever normal unless the cause is known (like going on a diet)

Lastly, I am puzzled as to why the doctor has said nothing can be done. If someone is getting side-effects from a medication, it is often possible to counter-act these effects; for example, using anti-diarrhea or anti-nausea tablets. These can help in the short term whilst the body adapts and the side-effects go away (which they do in most people, in a few they don't and in that case the usual response is to stop taking the medication causing them or to try an alternative)

Of course, you should not give any medications - not even over the counter ones - without seeking the doctor's advice first. Usually anti-diarrhea medication can;t be used in the long term as it can cause constipation, or the body can become reliant on it and you get "rebound" diarrhea when you stop. Or the medication simply loses it;s effect over time.

I would personally go back to the GP. Persistent diarrhea is not normal, it is also very unpleasant and I would have thought that there must be something which can help alleviate it.

 

[Chook]

Some poinmts occurred to me.

Has the Aricept been started or increased relatively recently? If it has then it's reasonable to consider this as a side effect. If she's been on it some time, that would give me pause for thought because this sort of thing usually becomes evident when starting out (and often settles down again, which is one reason they start on a half-dose for a month so that any side effects are minimised whilst the body adjusts itself). It would be unusual for someone to have no problems for months say and then get side effects.

Also, it depends what you mean by diarrhea. Diarrhea means passing stools more often that usual and usually (but not necessarily) looser stools as well. If this does not apply, but instead you are getting "accidents" then it could be more incontinence than diarrhea - if your mum is starting to get confused about what the feeling of going to the loo means or not being able to find her way to one.

If this is a persistent problem then you need to go back to your doctor. Not least because persistent diarrhea and espescially with loose stools can be a sign of a more serious underlying problem - the older someone is the more of a warning sign these symtpoms are presumed to be. Naturally, you need to go back right away if she starts to pass blood as well, or loses weight - neither of these are ever normal unless the cause is known (like going on a diet)

Lastly, I am puzzled as to why the doctor has said nothing can be done. If someone is getting side-effects from a medication, it is often possible to counter-act these effects; for example, using anti-diarrhea or anti-nausea tablets. These can help in the short term whilst the body adapts and the side-effects go away (which they do in most people, in a few they don't and in that case the usual response is to stop taking the medication causing them or to try an alternative)

Of course, you should not give any medications - not even over the counter ones - without seeking the doctor's advice first. Usually anti-diarrhea medication can;t be used in the long term as it can cause constipation, or the body can become reliant on it and you get "rebound" diarrhea when you stop. Or the medication simply loses it;s effect over time.

I would personally go back to the GP. Persistent diarrhea is not normal, it is also very unpleasant and I would have thought that there must be something which can help alleviate it.

Thank you for your reply. Mum has said it's diarrhoea but I've not see it personally. I have seen that she's had an accident before so I'm guessing it's pretty runny and quick.

Mum has no gall bladder, I don't know if this makes any difference or not. I know she's always had a bit of trouble with wind and had to be careful what food she ate. I'll try to keep a food diary I think and see if I'm giving her something which disagrees with her.

She has been on the meds for about a year but she's only moved closer to me recently so I didn't know of any side effects before. She had mentioned it a couple of times but said it was okay. Also, she would probably forget by the time i spoke to her later in the day.

 

[lulubel]

My mum has been on Aricept since last Sept. She has started suffering with loose bowel movements more regularly now. I hadn't associated it with the Aricept, but reading the above I'm starting to wonder?
She had some very vivid dreams recently too, and when we asked the GP, she suggested the benefits of Aricept outweighed the side-effects. I'm not sure, the Alz seems to be taking a noticeable hold, but I don't know quickly or slowly the symptoms develop normally.....
Confused.....Lulu xxxx

 

[Chook]

My mum has been on Aricept since last Sept. She has started suffering with loose bowel movements more regularly now. I hadn't associated it with the Aricept, but reading the above I'm starting to wonder?
She had some very vivid dreams recently too, and when we asked the GP, she suggested the benefits of Aricept outweighed the side-effects. I'm not sure, the Alz seems to be taking a noticeable hold, but I don't know quickly or slowly the symptoms develop normally.....
Confused.....Lulu xxxx

Hi Lulu

That's what mum's gp said too. It's hard to know whether, if they stopped taking it, would they have a sharp decline. Aricept certainly helped mum to begin with. Now I'm not so sure.

Let me know what you decide to do!

Chook
x

 

[stanleypj]

It's not surprising you're confused Lulu. From what you say you don't seem to have noticed any benefits. So what benefits is the GP talking about? I think it is clearly established that some people clearly benefit, some people don't seem to and some improve once they come off it. The GP seems to be making unproven assumptions about your mum's case. Has the GP even asked you whether you have seen any improvements?

 

[stanleypj]

This AS factsheet may be useful:

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=147

 

[Nebiroth]

It would be unusual for someone to take Aricept for a long time with no issues and then suddenly start to get side effects. These usually appear in the first few days and often settle down (though not always)

It's very important that anyone who experiencies a persistent change in bowel habits go to see their doctor right away (as the television adverts suggest)

If someone is going to the toilet more frequently and/or has looser stools for more than three weeks then they must go and see their GP. The older you are the more of a warning sign this is presumed to be, espescially if you are aged over 60.

Unexplained changes shoudl never be ignored. If someone is passing blood or loosing weight without explanation they must see their GP urgently.

There are lots of conditions that can cause these things to happen, some are benign and others aren't.

Usually in someone in their fifties or over there would be further tests unless the diagnosis is clear and obvous. Younger persons would be presumed to have something like IBS in the absense of "red flags" like passing blood.

A change in bowel habits towards constipation is usually regarded as being much mor elikely to be benign. It is a change towards diarrhea like symptoms that is considered worrying.