Anyone who took or on knew someone who took Zyprexa or Risperidoneand 55 years

[ninersdeedee]

The side effects of these drugs lead to my mother's death in 2004. Statistics in the use of these in elderly individuals is false.Do you have a story and the effects these drugs had? Please post

[specialmom]

I'm sorry about your mom.  That's really hard.  I lost my mom during an outpatient hernia surgery.  which is generally something other people have no problem with.  That's the thing in the medical world.  All people are unique.  All medications and procedures can have down side that must be weighed toward potential benefit.  I think both Zyprexa and Risperdal were huge improvements over the drugs used in the time before they were available.  They opened up a whole new level of treatment for many.   A schizophrenic patient that had no affect for decades did again.  With use in the elderly,  they do have a black box warning for use in dementia.  Tell us more about your mom.  55 is not elderly.  :>)  That's not usually what they mean when they say someone is elderly.  These medications are potent and powerful.  They can greatly hurt but someone can also have an individual reaction that is catastrophic.  That's the same with most any drug though. Again, sorry for the loss of your mom.

[ninersdeedee]

I agree for the treatment of schizophrenia it was good. Using this medication to treat depression, anxiety, bipolar and agitation in anyone over 62 along with Cymbalta or others like it, should be monitored with proper  documentation pertaining to patients side effects, adverse effects, weight gain or loss, blood pressure, LOSS OF MOBILITY, MORE CONFUSED, and memory issues. Back then there were no warning signs yet about Dementia. The issue is due to Risperidone not working for my mom and watching the downfall start, they put her on Zypreza, then that's when she lost all mobility, and wanted to put her on Gedon. That's when I paid out of my pocket and to her to the head of Physcitry at Stanford University. I learned a lot. Over the last 20 years I still see the same things happening and getting worse. I help support, advocate, and caregiver for the elderly and disabled. In April I was asked to help out a 65 year old women who suffered a Tram Brain Imjury

[Paxiled]

I'm not sure we have the medical knowledge to know what causes dementia.  Most medication used for mental illness has some research showing a link to dementia.  Unfortunately, having a chronic mental illness that goes unsuccessfully treated also has some research showing a tie to dementia.  But I don't know that it's conclusive, and if she lived a life she couldn't have had before she had dementia that she wouldn't have been able to have without the meds than maybe it was worth it to her.  My psychiatrist practices geriatric psychiatry, and while I don't know who is right about the cause of dementia, I do know that we all have to protect ourselves and our loved ones when we get old, because doctors will prescribe drugs to keep people quiet or to make them less troublesome.  These meds are known to be more dangerous and harder to dose correctly the younger we are and the older we are, and it's particularly hard when an elderly patient or a very young patient can't articulate that the drug is causing them problems.  Life is hard.  Alas.

[ninersdeedee]

Yes it is hard. I have learned a lot in my last 20 years. Never believe what the statistics say for any antipsychotic drug. Thousands of adverse effects, inproper or mishandled documentation by profecinal prescribing it, when it's time for a crises intervention the Dr. will not do so, in witch causes death. Yes 6 cases where intervention was needed, and Dr. took no action. It hasn't changed in 20 years, because we believe in our Dr.s.  After my mom went from Risperidone as her mobility and memory were getting worse she was changed to Zypreza and told that she has Dementia and that was the cause of her decline. No warning signs or studies done yet on these medications and elderly dementia patient warnings. My mother declined so bad, I was hand feeding her and having to hold her up. Took her to Hospital, told me to take her to crises center. Between all this I started to do a lot of research. Having to hold up my mom and walk into the Dr.'s offices I was screening at the Dr. Telling her that she can look at, and try and talk my mom but that it is not Dementia it is the drugs. Long story short the head of Physcitry at Stanford University I PAID FOR. MY MOM GOT HOSPITALIZED, A NURSE RIGHT BY HER 24/7 FOR A WEEK. THEN TRANSFERED TO ANOTHER ONE. MY MOM WAS ABLE TO WALK AGAIN, TALK AGAIN, BUT ONCE THE BRAIN IS DAMAGED BY THESE DRUGS,AND HAVE TO SLOWLY WEIN THEM OFF OF THEM, DUE TO THE AWFUL EFFECTS IT CAN HAVE, UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS NO REPAIRING THE BRAIN. SO MY MOM NEVER HAD DEMENTIA, THEY KNEW IT, CAUSE THEY ALSO WOULDN'T GIVE HER A CAT SCAN. BOTTOM LINE,  ONCE A PATIENT BECOMES LIKE MY MOM AND SEVERAL OTHERS, IT IS THERE RESPONSIBILITY TO STEP IN WHEN IT BECOMES A CRISES AND HOSPITALIZATION IS REQUIRED, PAYMENT FOR THE CRISES IS ON THEM AND OF COURSE IF THEY HAVE MEDICARE, THEN PART MEDICARE. IF THAT HAPPENS, THEN SO MUCH WILL HAVE TO BE DONE IN REPORTING, TO FDA,DRUG COMPANY'S, INSURANCE, ALL DOCUMENTATION FROM DR TO MAKE SURE THEY FOLLOWED ALL THE GUIDELINES BY THE STATE AND FEDERAL, WHAT WENT WRONG, AND APPRECIATE ACTION. THATS NOT ALL EITHER.  DOZENS OF TIMES IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM, LETTING HER GO, AND WRITING TO REPORT TO DR. The Dr and it's staff were in control of my mother's right to live or die. They had to sign a release for treatment, or be the one to place you into treatment. It's called a Capitated Mental Health Plan. Solano County. 4 years we all suffered. The money spent, time off work, mother had to live with me , no time for my own kids, how guilty sometimes I feel, but awareness speed it

[Paxiled]

There have been posts on this forum over the years about concern that patients in elder care facilities were doing okay and were then put on an antidepressant and went downhill mentally really fast.  These folks were already quite ill or they wouldn't have had to be confined to a home, but docs made them worse.  As you say, you have to taper off of these drugs as slowly as needed for a particular individual, but if the individual can't speak for themselves they can't say it's not going well.  It is a big problem, but really, not just for the elderly.  It's also true for pretty much everyone who is on medication of any kind.  Reporting requirements actually only exist for hospital settings, and many of them are voluntary.  Doctors in their practices don't have any requirement to report adverse events.  They can, but they don't have to, and most don't.  Another problem is that what most of us and most docs know about medication is from information put out by pharmaceutical companies.  This is because our health care system is a private for profit system, and therefore most information about a drug is proprietary and there is not only no requirement to publish this info but a penalty for doing so, as it invites loss of sales and lawsuits.  It's particularly egregious when you consider almost all drugs are originated by gov't funded research and then turned over to the private sector for free.  I had this problem, and I wasn't elderly.  When I was first put on meds no doctor told me what the downsides were.  I also didn't ask, I trusted them.  I only learned about all of that when one drug ruined my life and my psychiatrist completely dissembled or was completely ignorant of what he was prescribing, one or the other.  I didn't sue, so I'll never know.  I always say this on here now, patients have to do their own homework.  If you read the posts on here you will see most of the folks who participate believe what their doctors tell them despite years and years of learning they really don't when investigations inevitably come.  But I'm not sure I agree that drugs that adversely affect people cause brain damage or cause irreversible damage.  They do sometimes, but not usually, from what we can tell.  For most people, once you safely get them off the drug they do recover.  That's no consolation for those of us who didn't have that good outcome, but it does go too far to say it's always a permanent problem or brain damage, because we really don't know that and don't have any reliable statistics.  Most doctors do the best they can with what they were taught, and many keep learning after that.  But many don't, and nobody requires it.  I feel for you.  The system needs to be fixed, but only will be when we stop thinking of our docs as miracle workers and just see them as human beings like everyone else.  Peace to you.

[Paxiled]

And I should add, for people who have no lives at all without medication, not having it available would be a tragedy.  We don't want to throw the stuff out, we just need to know what we're in for so we can better handle things when they go south.

[specialmom]

I think the drug has changed the life of many.  But they found as time went on with the medication that it wasn't a right fit for many elderly with dementia.  Hence the warning against using it.  I am far less skeptical about the world of medications and have seen great good they do.  They've changed the world for many in a very positive way.  I'm sorry for the loss of your mother but do think they've relabeled these medications to encourage limited use in the elderly.  They were responsible with that information.  

[Paxiled]

Uh, Mom, they relabeled it because they got sued to the gills and the FDA required it.  Pharmaceutical companies are never responsible unless they are willing to make less money.  Look what happened with Luvox --- it was the only ssri that was pretty honest about the downsides, and it never really caught on in the US.  They would have made a lot more money being dishonest and paying the fines and lawsuits.