Giving medication

Dunkery

Registered User
Jul 19, 2013
49
0
Devon
My mother has always been resistant to the idea of taking medication, even before she had dementia. Now she simply refuses to take it in any form-tablet or liquid. Some mediation I am able to put into her drinks, with the authorization in the form of a "Best Interest" agreement from the Mental Health Team at our hospital. However, mum has now been diagnosed with a urinary tract infection and has refused to take the antibiotic in liquid form prescribed by her doctor-she could taste it in her drinks and in ice-cream. I do not want to put her off her drinks altogether. She is unable to take anything solid at all. The doctor has now given her some tablets to try, which I will crush up. Has anyone got any suggestions about the best way to get her to take it? She is not drinking much so I do not have many opportunities to try. I hate doing something which makes her so stressed but she is also so anxious and won't let me leave the room for long let alone the house! I'm aware that the infection may be worsening her anxiety (which is pretty bad anyway!) and do not want to make it any worse than it already is. Any suggestions would be gratefully received!
 

Butter

Registered User
Jan 19, 2012
6,737
0
NeverNeverLand
Welcome to TP Dunkery. I am sorry to learn about your mother.

I can see you are between a rock and a hard place: either you put her off drinking or you can't give her her medication. I can't see that crushed tablets will be any easier - unless she'll take them in yoghurt or icecream?

I suggest you go straight back to the doctor and explain. I think injections can be prescribed in this situation - I realise you will then have to have home visits or get to hospital/clinic regularly.

I am very sorry you are having to deal with this.
 

Dunkery

Registered User
Jul 19, 2013
49
0
Devon
Thank you Butter for your welcome and for replying so promptly. I have contacted mum's doctor and said I should try crushing the tablet up. We do that already with an anti-anxiety tablet but that is really small and I know that if the tablet has any taste to it mum will probably notice! She also hates having injections and gets very stressed going to the hospital/surgery-so much so that we have been unable to get an official diagnosis because mum won't have any tests and is in complete denial that anything is wrong with her! I think that if the infection worsens she will end up in hospital on IV antibiotics, which she will get very distressed about, so I am anxious to try to avoid that situation arising. I will try putting it in yoghurt. Thank you for your encouragement.
 

RebeccaM

Registered User
Jul 19, 2013
4
0
Hello,

I know how you are feeling it is very frustrating. A lot of residents at the care home i work at are the same and so is my grandmother. Have you tried putting it in mooses? yogurts? milkshakes?

Good luck

Rebecca
 

RebeccaM

Registered User
Jul 19, 2013
4
0
Does she not eat meals that are blended up?. You could also try adding sugar to sweeten anything you are trying to give her to try and hide the taste of medication.

Rebecca
 

lilysmybabypup

Registered User
May 21, 2012
1,263
0
Sydney, Australia
Welcome. Oh, I wish I knew the answer to this one! Dad has stopped eating, everything tastes awful, and tablets whole or crushed in custard are still abhorrent. I just tell him it's medicine and I'm sorry it tastes awful, I need to take mine so he should take his. He still carries on as though it's poison but takes them followed by water....sometimes.

Sorry,
Stephanie, xxx
 

pippop1

Registered User
Apr 8, 2013
498
0
Patches?

You may find that some medication is available in patch form (like a plaster). These can be put onto the back where the person cannot reach them. Might we worth asking a pharmacist.
 

Dunkery

Registered User
Jul 19, 2013
49
0
Devon
Thank you for the advice and support. Rebecca, I blend veg into soups but mum has no interest in eating and will only attempt food she has had in the past, which has been mainly soup for several years. However if you have any ideas you would be willing to share about blending meals or useful websites for recipe ideas, I would be grateful if you would pass them on.

I am sorry you are having similar problems Stephanie. It is so hard isn't it to keep trying to ensure they are having a good diet. I buy nutritional soups for mum. The doctor has prescribed nutritional drinks, which she enjoyed at first and now has go off those too. It is hard not to turn into a nag about eating and drinking-especially in this hot weather we are having at the moment!