Refusing to take meds.

[LadyA]

So, William is as the CPN put it "progressing" - or at least his dementia is. He no longer knows who I am, or that I'm his wife. Some of the time he knows that I am someone he loves, and is overjoyed when I'm around, and he knows that I am the one who takes care of him. However, other times his paranoia rears its head, and I'm someone who is trying to kill him, by giving him all those pills that he doesn't need, and he won't take them. He won't even use his asthma inhalers, and as he has a constant bad wheeze at the moment, that's serious. He has had two bad choking fits in the last week - really bad, I really thought he was going to die! It's just that something goes "down the wrong way" and he coughs and splutters and can't catch his breath. I think that's what's leading to so much wheezing and the almost constant chest infections - he's aspirating small particles of food or liquid.

Anyway, the main problem at the moment is that he has been on anti psychotics for over two years - because they are very much needed. His paranoia & hallucinations are so severe without them that there's no way I could manage him at home without the medication, and the stress was endangering him anyway. But more and more, I'm having problems getting him to take his meds. A couple of weeks ago, I had to call the out of hours doctor out to him to see if they could get it in to him. This morning I had to phone the CPN - but before she arrived, as if someone had flipped a switch in him, his mood changed, his expression cleared he started to cry because he had upset and been nasty to me, and he took his pill like a lamb! I had to go to work this morning, and when I got back I was greeted with joy and hugs. And he took all the rest of his meds well today- but he does seem to be having trouble swallowing the capsules, more so than the ordinary tablets.

I don't know what to do for the best. I'm still determined not to put him in a nursing home because I know his horror of them and how desperate he was to stay at home - and if he wasn't medicated, no nursing home would take him, I'm sure, as he'd be too disruptive. I'm just praying that he will continue in good humour. Think yet another trip to docs is called for - often an infection is behind these mood changes. But he's literally only finished an antibiotic last weekend.

 

[Butter]

It is such a balancing act Lady A. What about liquid medication? Capsules are not even for horses really.

You seem to balance better than humanly possible. And I am sure you have a healthy grasp of what is and is not possible. So I hope you keep Plan A and Plan B and Plan C and Plan D fresh and up to date.

To state the obvious - to tell you what you know - you will be far more use as a healthy regular visitor, master-minding the whole situation, day in day out, than on the floor from trying to do the un-doable.

 

[rajahh]

My desire was to keep Gordon at home, but I have had to give in.

You can only do so much LadyA in the end something has to give and you must try to ensure it is not you who gives!!!!

I wondered if the medication could be given in liquid form. The pharmacist would know.

My husband sometimes says he is too tired to take his meds and his are warfarin which is also quite important. It is a constant struggle and each day you never know what you are going to have to contend with.

Thinking of you

Jeannette

 

[Izzy]

I got the liquid form of some meds and dispersible for others. Bill sometimes just keeps capsules or pills in his mouth or crunches them.

 

[LadyA]

I got the liquid form of some meds and dispersible for others. Bill sometimes just keeps capsules or pills in his mouth or crunches them.

That's exactly what he's doing. Not that he can crunch much, as we gave up the denture battle months ago. He has quite a few of his own teeth, but not enough to really crunch anything hard!

We'll see how we go with things for now. I'm going to make sure I have something on hand to put his tablets in if necessary.

 

[Izzy]

Snap re the dentures! If you see what I mean!

Bill has taken those which he still has to take in pill form with no problems this morning. Strange!

 

[LadyA]

Wm's doc is on hols, so I spoke to a different doc in the practise yesterday by phone, and have made an appointment for Tuesday. But meanwhile, he repeated the liquid antibiotic, and said it does sound like he may be inhaling particles, so he gave him Thick & Easy to thicken drinks (good luck with that!). And he said that the molipaxin (trazadone) capsules might be sticky with the plasticky coating they come in, and difficult to swallow, so I'm to open them and mix the contents in yogurt, ice cream, mousse or whatever. Success yesterday - himself was angelic all day, and he loves the liquid antibiotic.

 

[Izzy]

That's good news. I wish more of the meds could be mixed with yoghurt. That would be perfect for Bill.

 

[Dean80]

We used to crush my mums meds to a fine powder and mix them with her hot choc until she could no longer drink hot liquids safely, then we started to mix them with her food, we found ice cream was the best for her.

 

[Izzy]

We used to crush my mums meds to a fine powder and mix them with her hot choc until she could no longer drink hot liquids safely, then we started to mix them with her food, we found ice cream was the best for her.

Some meds are time release though and I was told not to do that with these.

 

[Dean80]

Some meds are time release though and I was told not to do that with these.

This is true, mums worked fairly quickly, but then they gave her something else in an injection which made her into a zombie like state which we hated, so we went back to the tablets.

 

[LadyA]

I know - I'm assuming the doc would know though.