DH was due to be released from hospital to home today and we were both excited. Home modifications and live-in arrangements made, discharge planning completed, doctor's follow-up appoitments made...at last, he's coming home. What a blessing and after 4months struggle it seemed too good to be true.
Well, it was. Liver enzymes out of this world and climbing - Depakote thought to be the offending chemincal so he's now off Depakote entirely. Dr's thought it could be a gallstone,but ultrasound showed it was not. If liver enzymes keep climbing, they will take him off all meds, which I am afraid of since I don't want him to lose his baseline while on Aricept and Namenda. And, he randomly, for no reason at all slapped another patient in the back of the head yesterday afternoon. Dr. calls and tells me he cannot release him home because now that he's off Depakote and with the slapping incident his behaviors are too unpredictable and there is no other drug being introduced at this time to control behaviors due to liver problems. So now, i we're lucky, he will be released possibly during the week f Christmas which is the worst possible time. I am so angry and frustrated.
They are proposing introducing either neurontin or lithium because neither is metabolized in the liver. Anyone have experience with a LO on either med? If so, what were the dosages that were effecive and how long did they take to work? Any bad side effects?
Thanks for listening, I'm so disappointed and so will he be.
LFL-my DH was put on neurontin which is an antiseizure med about 4mos ago but its got several other off market useages as well besides antiseizure drug. we started him out only on 50mg which is a child dose as i was very nervous about any new med as well. he did well but became tolerant to the dose and to bring us up to date its now at 300mg /day and not only does it work for the antiseizure function it mellows him out super and since hes been on it very docile and smiley and not at all hostile like he was on namenda. i think this drug has very high tolerance and my neuro says it can be dosed as much as 3600mg/day! there are many here who take this med or have their spouse on it as well with good results- so there is alot of leeway here for useage. sorry you have had the setback but i agree you dont want him home without having him docile and knowing what the meds do for him. the dosing may have to be adjusted and should be done while hes in the facility. i hope things work out for you /him very soon and you can have him back home with some TLC. divvi
Mine's on neurontin and it has done VERY well for him. 200 mg/day is enough to keep him okay, that plus namenda and now trazadone which is an old anti-depressant which works VERY well for him. He IMPROVED when he went on that and it's held for a couple of months now. But as we all say, you know one AZ patient, you know one. What works for one may not work for another. But neurontin is apparently quite safe.