Follow
Share

help me advice please mom in hospital took her off of her meds she has been on put her on zyprexa do not wANT HER ON THIS SHE IS MORE confused then ever I want to bring home continue her meds was on what can I do want to send her to pysch hospital to experiment I feel no she has dementia

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.

48 Answers

Most
Helpful Newest
First Oldest
First
1 2
Are you her medical POA? It sounds to me like you may well need to ask for a second opinion.

Why did she end up in the hospital?

Has the doctor given any explanation for putting someone with Parkinson's on zyprexa?

What meds was she on before?

Has she been evaluated for dementia?
Helpful Answer (2)
Report
If she was better at home on original meds, ask why she's been switched to a drug that makes her worse.
If you feel the Drs. aren't taking the time to explain, then definitely go with your feeling and take her back home and put her back on her original meds.Unless she has an additional medical problem, then make sure they tell you clearly why the meds have changed.
Stand up for your Mother, make sure the Drs. give you a straight answer.
You are in charge, not the Drs., who sometimes treat the elderly in a manner they would never treat someone younger.
When your Mother can't speak up for herself, you must do it for her.
Helpful Answer (3)
Report
Sandy, it's terribly difficult to stand your ground when hospital doctors gang up on you. How do you get on with your mother's PCP/GP? - because if I'd got into a fight with, say, my mother's cardiologist or neurologist that's who I'd turn to for help, support or, at the very least, a fair explanation of why the hospital wants to follow this course of treatment.

The hospital medics ought not to be dismissing your concerns, and they owe you a clear explanation of what they're trying to achieve for your mother. But at such a stressful time it is SOOOO difficult to insist on these things and keep your cool. If you don't like the GP idea, do you have a neighbour, friend or relative who could accompany you for moral support or assist you with advocacy for your mother? Or is there a liaison office at the hospital that supports patients' and relatives' advocacy?

Get back-up, in short. Best of luck, I feel for you.
Helpful Answer (6)
Report
If you have power of attorney, you can simply tell them you do not wish her to be on this medication.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report
The days where the doctor was God are gone. When we disagree with doctors we have the right to look for a second opinion.

I admire and respect the profession and have met countless professionals who are at the top of their game. Unfortunately, I've seen and coped with several who were either behind the times or had such a terrific opinion of themselves that there was no communicating with them.

Seeking a second opinion is sometimes necessary. Good luck with your situation.
Carol
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
If you are planning to sign your mother out AMA, (against medical advice), you will probably get zero help from the hospital. Why do you feel your mom needs a psychiatric facility? To experiment with what? Look what happened at the hospital. Talk to the doctors. Ask questions. Make a list of your questions so you don't forget. If you have the necessary paperwork, medical poa, that would help a great deal. Remember that introducing new medication is a process, and there are always side effects that may subside. Good luck
Helpful Answer (1)
Report
This thread is very confusing for there was another one very similar to it that no longer exists. Anyway, if this helps, here is what Sandy posted on my wall in answer to my questions hours ago.

"yes she has been evalutated for Dementia parksons was mis diagnosed they said that when after she went through radition as a precaution couldn't walk so they said that truth is burnt her brain 14 days 2xs a day recently had dr agree with me yes I am her medical whatever reason for hospital last week coukd not control behavior prior to this hqad uti starte3d her on cipro so when she went to hospital; uti didn't show up and they would not let her finish out meds she had ten pills left"
Helpful Answer (2)
Report
Um. It doesn't shed a whole lot of light, CMag!

Not everybody is blessed with the literacy and/or typing skills to produce elegant text, particularly under emotional pressure. Bear with them or not, as you please, but please don't criticise the grammar and punctuation of people when they are asking for help. It is unkind and unnecessary.
Helpful Answer (16)
Report
You're right, cmagnum. It's confusing. I'm not completely sure about everything being addressed either, but I hope Sandy is getting something from the various comments. The only thing I can boil it down to is that she needs a second opinion to guide her through a very difficult situation.

Thanks to everyone for the comments. Sandy, we'll keep trying to help if you want to give us feedback.
Take care of yourself, too,
Carol
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
If you are POA or medical POA you can TELL the medical staff you don't want your mom to have certain meds even though they feel they need to prescribe them. (Doctors get kickbacks from Big Pharma for as many drugs they can push on patients as possible). We had medical POA over my mom and gave the same to my mom's aunt when my mom was in the hospital due to medical malpractice. They kept doling out the dilaudid which made my mom hallucinate and become combative (more than likely so she would die and not be able to sue the hospital). They had to comply with our wishes and especially since my mom's sister was a former nurse, she was able to direct the staff in what would have been best for my mom. It made the staff angry and they got this "I'm god" attitude but they had to comply legally with our wishes. So you do have rights and a choice in how your mom is cared for. There should also have been a form that your mom (or POA) signed when she entered the hospital saying that the hospital has to inform you within a reasonable time if she is to be moved to another facility (just in case they want to send her off somewhere). If the case managers start that process, there's an 800 number to call and a member will show up and intervene or send a letter stating that your mom isn't to be moved anywhere until you give them permission. They tried doing this to us 2-3 times. I've also heard from people who brought their loved ones home even though the hospital said no and their loved ones got better. Something with being around familiar surroundings made a difference.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report
I have found that very often the hospital staff make assumptions that are based on profiling. Recently my elderly Mother was checked by a therapist for having difficulty swallowing. I was told that since she had NOT suffered a stroke the problem is simply that she is old and I should put all her meals in a blender. Once home I did some research on the internet and found several sites with exercises that one can do to help strengthen the swallowing reflects. They worked great and she has been doing much better with her eating. Why were these therapists not aware of this? Why did they not make this recommendation instead of jumping to the conclusion she needed pulverized food? YOU are your Mothers advocate and as such you need to ask the tough questions. Demand that you have a consultation with ALL of your Mothers health care providers and do not quit until you have a complete grasp of the situation and have made your opinions known.
Also, in response to the grammar used I must admit it is very difficult to give advice when you cannot really be sure what the question was. I could not make heads nor tails out of what was posted on cmagnums wall.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report
Recently Mom was in ER and needed to see a cardiologist (she has CHF) as she was having weird heart rhythm issues. the ER doctor said she needed to see cardiology. However the hospitalist who was assigned to admit her refused to order a cardiac consult. And put mom on meds for dizziness. They were going to release her without a cardiac consult, but I kept saying to her: "Mom, repeat after me, I am not leaving until I see a cardiologist". Finally we did get to see one, but only because we stood our ground.

I get very frustrated that medical folks often dismiss the caregiver and our knowledge about our loved one. We spend 24/7 and know what makes them sad/happy/angry/dizzy/etc or have experienced all those things with them. I am not just a family member. I know this person...not I just spent 5 minutes reading the summary and can make these decisions based on that and because I am the DR. If there was not a big problem, we still would have been at home!
Helpful Answer (5)
Report
Cooper1955 and glashalffull,

Those are very helpful stories. I have often wondered about the profiling. Or the assumptions that are made without really checking. My mom's family doctors just wrote prescriptions for her memory and anxiety without really testing her very well. Int turned out that she was WAY under-medicated and was having terrible bouts of debilitating, trust me, debilitating anxiety.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
This is my pet peeve that hospital doctors don't consult with primary. I have never had them stop Moms meds. Addto them, put not take her off what a previous doctor has put her on. Have her primary talk to the attending. Tell him she is not doing well on the new med. You can refuse a med.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report
There are several concerns here. The first one seems to be a lack of understanding on the part of the caregiver. I believe she must initially have someone she trusts speak with the physicians with her. Jut because she believes the person does not have dementia, is not conclusive.Then, both representatives inquire after a second opinion. Then follow through with the advice offered. Too frequent changes in medicatio regimens could throw the care receiver into confusion above and boeyond what she is experiening. Also this disease sometimes changes rapidly, o frequent med visits are indicated now.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report
My main question is if the doctor in the hospital is the same person as the primary care physician. I imagine that they put her on Zyprexa to control some behavior she was exhibiting. After reading a little of her history in recent years, I can understand. Since she has been on and off hospice three times, I assume that people are just doing what they can for her at the moment. Sandy, work with the doctors to get the right combination of medications to keep your mother as comfortable as possible. I don't know what everyone is missing in her diagnosis, but my sympathies are with you.

About the writing, folks -- It is the way it is right now. People type differently on phones and punctuation is often left out. I run into it a lot with customers, who write to buy something. I think the main problem is the setup of iphones and others, where you have to go to the numbers screen to enter punctuation. Many people are just leaving it out now. (Then you have the OCD types like me that makes sure each message is written right before I hit the send button. There has even been a study on texting styles -- casual vs meticulous.)
Helpful Answer (1)
Report
What reason was given for putting your mom in the psyc hospital?
Helpful Answer (1)
Report
Sometimes you just have to stand your ground. As many others have said....you know your mother, you take care of her everyday, you are aware of changes in her in a way they don't. When my MIL fell and hit her head the hospital wanted to send her home after three days even though she was incoherent, was stripping off all her clothes, not eating and extremely confused. I said absolutely not! And I insisted that they do more tests and X-rays, which they did. She was there for over a week and although no new diagnosis was made at least more things were ruled out. I also had to insist that she be transported back home by ambulance as she was to weak to walk and there was no way I could safely transport her myself...stand firm, you know your mother better than any doctor that only sees her for a few minutes. Good luck and God bless you.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report
Doodlebug, first thing that should have been check for wss a concussion. This will cause same symptoms as Dementia and can take up to a year to disappear. I started my Mom with a neurologist and he gave her a couple of EEGs to see how she was progressing.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
Generally what works best is to be firm, polite, and persistent as you figure out what's going on. Either the doctors are not doing the right thing for your mom (quite possible, esp if they aren't listening to you) or what they are doing is reasonable but they are doing a terrible job of explaining their reasoning to you.

Getting help from the PCP or another clinician you know can help. Otherwise getting a friend or relative to support you is always a good idea.

Otherwise, you can do things like:
- Take notes on what's going on and who you talk to
- Ask repeatedly to talk to the doctor and say you are concerned and want to understand what's going on
- Ask to speak to a supervisor if someone is stonewalling
- Consider putting your concerns in writing and giving them to the supervisors of the hospital. Things in writing often carry weight, and they move up the management chain.
- Consider voicing your concerns on social media. I have found this often gets a very fast response from a customer relations team. Try to be diplomatic and constructive, it's better to say "I'm frustrated w XX hospital; can't get a clear answer on why they are changing my mom's meds" than "They're horrible and messing up my mom's meds!"

There are good resources at NextStepInCare.org re hospital discharge...I cannot remember the details but I think there are people you can call if you object to the care provided to a Medicare patient.

Good luck!!
Helpful Answer (2)
Report
No one knows her better than you do. If you are alarmed by the changes you are seeing there is a good reason to get her different care. My poor MIL was a basket case off and on, I was young and didn't know her very well, but started to suspect it was her meds. I spoke with my own relative who was an MD, got a referral for her who changed her meds. DH said it was the best 10 years of her life with the new Doc, he'd never seen her so clear. Go with your gut, you know your Mom.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report
JoAnn,
That's exactly why I insisted on more tests. I was worried about her having a "brain bleed". My mother suffered from a brain bleed that went undiagnosed for over a month because it did not show up in the initial tests....my step father did not care that her behavior had deteriorated as he was ready for her to die and so did nothing. I happened by for an unannounced visit and saw her practically lying in her plate and he said "Oh, she's been doing that for about two weeks now".... I won't go into the rest of the story on that right now and please fellow posters don't jump me for not being more aware of my moms situation as my step father wouldn't allow anyone in the home....I surprised him at lunch one day and could see her at the table,he was unable to tell me she was asleep and to try some other time.....
Back to my MIL, she had dementia and was in assisted living. She fell in the middle of the night but was able to get herself back in the bed. So casually mentioned it the next day to one of the staff. Since she was 82 they called the ambulance and the emergency dr ran a few tests and released her before I got there. A few days later, right back to ER, this time I was there for all of the tests and admitting to the hospital. Still I had to insist that she not be sent home after three days of "observation" and that more test be done. She never recovered and after four months passed away. She was under hospice care and got to live out her final days in her own room at Assisted Living. They loved her and she loved them, it was the best place for her final days.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report
1. Can you tell us what exactly is going on with your mother?

2. Why is she in the hospital?

3. What were her symptoms?

4. Why did the doctors feel the need for Zyprexa (generic form is Olanzapine)

Then we can go on from there.
Helpful Answer (4)
Report
I was totally against Olanzapine during the first week or two it was given to my mother. However, I had to health care proxy nor did I have POA so she was under the state's care while I was getting these two legalities straightened out. These medications were given by a Boston teaching hospital with a thoroughly trained geriatric psychiatric staff along with geriatric doctors highly trained. You are not going to get that across this country. I had to look far and wide to find one in FL (you would think they'd be everywhere, but I can tell you they are NOT. I'm talking about board certified doctors trained to care for the elderly. Far and few in between and to my dismay, not really graduating in the numbers I would love to see because the pay is so low. I found ONE in all of the county I'm in in FL (huge country, lots of people) SAD.

Anyway, as it turned out, this drug worked wonders in that it stopped the delusional thinking along with the paranoia that came along with her problem, age related dementia, higher than normal blood sugar readings (she wasn't taking her insulin correctly, and the list goes on).

It was when another doctor in another state (FL, not trained in geriatric psychiatry) told me the drug had been given to her for appetite, not for paranoia, adjusted the dosage to half that the problems began. I didn't go along with HIM, so I got rid of him and went to another doctor, who adjusted the medications again. BTW, in FL Zyprexa can only be prescribed by a psychiatrist

My children were totally against Zyprexa because of what they read on the internet. I, gave it a chance to work and work it did, now going on fourteen months. While she is now in a nursing home, she is somewhat aware, not paranoid or delusional anymore, and functioning well for her medical condition, i.e., loss of executive function, dementia, and the list goes on. She's in there because she fell, we placed in rehab, and I decided this was the best place for her given the social aspects, etc. While you need to keep tabs on doctors, you also need to trust them somewhat (SOMEWHAT). You need to ask intelligent questions and to do that you need to do some homework. It's not easy. My mother is going on 92. I've come to accept her time is limited given her age. I believe we have to also do that in order to survive caregiving.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report
I agree with the theme of the messages here. Stand your ground--meet with the doctor(s) and firmly ask them why they are switching her when she was doing well on the other meds.You know her and care for her full time, they don't. Older folks do get confused in the hospital, so just to be devil's advocate, could it be that she is confused due to being out of her normal environment, or is it the new meds? I don't know the answer to that but it is something to bring up with the hospital staff.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
I arbitrarily took my husband off Namenda two years ago. I felt no need to check with our doctor. He does better without it. Remember that the pharmaceuticals and many doctors are in bed together. I wonder how many physicians are on a cruise right now, compliments of the fat cat pharmas.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
I agree with Carol Bursack on this one. Since we lived out of town and my FIL was in charge of my MIL, he was trying to do what the doctors told him. Once we got to see what was going on and meet with the doctor, HOLY COW did he think he was ALL that and box of chocolates! He had her on so much medication she didn't know what, where or when. We got her out of the hospital and to a Elder care physician. He took her off of all meds except blood pressure and started all over. She still had problems but NOTHING like what this other guy had been doing. So it is very important to seek another opinion. If she is still in the hospital there is a social worker that can help also. Go with your gut on this. You are her advocate and she needs help.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report
You have to speak up. I remember one time when my mother was in the hospital the doctor wanted to send her home, she wasn't even walking yet. He suggested we( my father and I) could get a Hoyer lift. I said absolutely not, my father was frail at that point and I insisted on rehab. Mother went to rehab.

Had my dad put on Ativan in the hospital and he got confused, went right to the Director of Nursing and got him off it.

Doctors sometimes need to be put in check.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report
Salisbury, I agree with you. Some of these posts are difficult to undetstand. The last time I said this, someone countered, saying that I was being hyper critical.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
You can still change the meds however unless you have a medical background discuss the effects of taking her off her current meds. Zyprexa is an antidepressant, so weaning her off should not be a problem, but again, discuss any changes with the doctor. I will tell a doctor my concerns since I know of my husband of 31 yrs., but I have the medical background to back up my theories. Get a medical/healthcare power of attorney so that gives you some authority.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report
1 2
This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.

Recent Questions


Popular Questions


Related Questions

Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter