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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Alzheimer's Medication
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD) , bipolar disorder , dementia , electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic , personality disorders, phobias , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , schizophrenia , stress , transitions, and work problems.
Alzheimer's Medication
by rshogen, Feb 16, 2005 12:00AM
My mother is in an assisted living/Alzheimer's home. There is a Psychiatrist on staff. She has slowly been going through the stages. There is another patient at the home who has been irritating her and she has shown signs of aggression by slapping this lady.
The psychiatrist has recently put her on Namenda. After two weeks on this drug she had congestive heart failure. (don't know if this was any relation to the drug) She had just had a check-up and there were no heart problems prior.
This is a list of the medications she is on and it is very frightening to myself and my sister since we were told they would over medicate her and then taper back.
Used for:
Seroquel - Antipsychotic Drug
Depakote - Seisures/mania/bipolor
Prevacid - ?
Abilify - Mental disorder (schizophrenia)
Busbar - Antidepressent
Warfarin - Coumadin (for a blood clot in leg)**
Larazpem - Seisures
Acetaminophen -
Aracept
The psychiatrist has recently put her on Namenda. After two weeks on this drug she had congestive heart failure. (don't know if this was any relation to the drug) She had just had a check-up and there were no heart problems prior.
This is a list of the medications she is on and it is very frightening to myself and my sister since we were told they would over medicate her and then taper back.
Used for:
Seroquel - Antipsychotic Drug
Depakote - Seisures/mania/bipolor
Prevacid - ?
Abilify - Mental disorder (schizophrenia)
Busbar - Antidepressent
Warfarin - Coumadin (for a blood clot in leg)**
Larazpem - Seisures
Acetaminophen -
Aracept
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Feb 18, 2005 12:00AM
, Feb 18, 2005 12:00AM
I am not an expert in this kind of care but my basic view would be that your mother, like so many others like her, is on much to much medication, and this much can actually add to the confusion and loss of control rather than control it. I would urge you to take this position with your psychiatrist to see what can be done.
