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Ask a Pharmacist (Expert Forum)
Father's weird symptoms...
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Father's weird symptoms...
by Susanlynne, Feb 05, 2009 12:22PM
My father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and is on Namenda, Zantac, and Ecelon. About two years ago, he began having gas/burping and hiccups on an intermittent basis. He's always been a little burby and we attributed the development to his eating the wrong foods but once his AD diagnosis was made in August of '08 and he began his medication routine, his hiccups and gas/burping became even worse. He now has them almost 24/7, and worse after eating anything. Couuld this be due to the drugs? My thinking was that the drug combination may have decreased his body's natural mechanism for dealing with the problem, thereby making it worse. From what I've read online, he could have GERD, malabsorption, Crohn's disease, gallstones, a viral infection, an overgrowth of H. Pylori bacteria, diverticulitis, hepatitis A, or even a gluten insensitivity. As you might guess, I'm at a loss. He continues to be very uncomfortable, and I suspect the hiccuping keeps him awake at night, as he's seemed excessively tired lately.
He is scheduled for an upper GI and colonoscopy tomorrow and I will be interested to know the results.
He is scheduled for an upper GI and colonoscopy tomorrow and I will be interested to know the results.
Age
:
66
Sex
:
Male
Weight
:
165
Current Medications
:
Ecelon, Namenda, Zantac
Drug Allergies
:
No known
Medical Conditions
:
Alzheimer's, undetermined upper/lower GI illness
Doctor's Answer
by Liz C, RPh, Feb 06, 2009 07:08AM
, Feb 06, 2009 07:08AM
I don't believe the medications are attributing to his gas/burping and hiccups. The Zantac should be helping him with the gas/burping. I am also interested in knowing the results of the upper GI scan and colonoscopy.
