A convoluted question

[Katy44]

As I've mentioned before, my Grandma has been declining for probably about five years now, but rapidly in the last year.
She is confused, paranoid and wanders.
For about the last six months, my parents have had to deal with incidents about once a week - she tries to 'go home', or calls in floods of tears telling them her delusions.
About three or four weeks ago she collapsed in the street, and when she went to hospital it was found that this was due to extremely low blood pressure caused by the fact that she was taking far too much medication for her high blood pressure. I assume her general health was checked, and her GP went through her existing medication with my Grandad, and told him exactly what she should be taking and when.
Since then she has not had a single episode (or at least not one bad enough for my Granddad to get my parents involved). She has been a lot happier (which is lovely to hear and makes me realise how sad she must have been before), and although confused still, it is manageable and a lot less so.

In the first week we thought this must just be a coincidence but after so long, I am beginning to wonder! Has anyone else noticed anything like this? If this is a common situation then I would just like to make people more aware!

 

[Jude]

Dear Katy,

Thank you for raising the question of overmedication and I'm very glad that your Grandma is much better again now.

A few years ago just before I was away overseas, my mother was prescribed as needing a course of iron tablets, which were to last for a month. When I returned some eight months later, I found that she was still taking them because repeat prescriptions had been incorrectly issued. Added to that, she was also then being given gallons of liquid medicine by the Wardens at the close care accommodation unit, to counteract the constipatory effect of the iron tabs and had also been wearing night and day pads to prevent 'accidents'.

How utterly idiotic is that? Nobody had the brains to take her to the Doctor and figure out that she was overmedicated on iron tablets and that by stopping those, she would not require pads or Lactulose either. Instead, they just kept on adding to the problem.

I now make a point of monitoring my parents' medication very closely and checking with the Doctor regularly.

Jude

 

[Sheila]

Hi all, my Mum didn't take her medications properly when she was on her own either, spoke to GP etc, ended up going down each day, marking number of pills etc, etc. When she came to live with us, several times I had to get the medications altered as she was becoming very overmedicated due to build up, Anti psychotics in particular. I think it is important to keep a record of these things and to note down any changes and report them to the GP etc. if you are concerned.Drowsiness can lead to more confusion, falls etc. Iron etc. can build up and cause constipation needing treatment with bowel meds so the 2 never get sorted unless you stop overdoing the iron, so it goes on. You need to get on top of it. Love, She.XX