I haven't posted for quite a while because it has been pretty quiet and "normal" here. This morning I went to take my pills, which I normally take around 6.30 only to find DH had taken my pills and his was still in the pill box!!!!! He has taken a 240mg BP, one for Cholesterol and a Prem Pro. His BP pill is 10mg and he doesn't take any for Cholesterol and certainly not Prem Pro. He did NOT take his Namenda or Sertraline. I have put them out so he can take them when we get back from the Barber shop.
I didn't know until I read Joan's blog that Aricept and Namenda are usually only good for 18 months to 2 years. He has been on Aricept for 2 years and Namenda since March. So I am wondering if Aricept is not working as well. He has been jerking a lot more this past week so I am also wondering if he is declining. I guess I am going to have to watch him like a hawk from now on.
Hope everyone has a good day or as good as you can expect!
Jean, can you call your pharmacist to see it you need to do anything about dh's taking those extra pills? That's what I would do. Can you take his BP? Sounds like it's time to put your pills somewhere where he won't see them. My DH (stage 4-5) took his own pills until recently but now I take them out of the box for him and put them in a dessert dish beside his plate with a glass of water. Works better because he wasn't careful anymore about getting all of the little pills out of the box.
Hi Jean! Are the BP pills the same? Do call your pharmacist to check. The only pill that could cause a problem is the BP one and giving more fluids today should help.
As far as the AD pills...your doctor will adjust pills as necessary. When DH took 2 days worth of his pills at a time knew it was time for me to hand him the day's pills.
Okay Folks, I drove down to Walgreens and spoke with the Pharmacist. The ones that would or could cause a problem is the BP pills. I had forgotten about one of them so he has taken 340mg of the BP's. The Pharmacist said to have DH drink lots of fluids and if he gets dizzy or weak to take him to the hospital. I'm hoping that doesn't happen because I don't know how I would get him down from the 3rd floor!
We have pill boxes and I fill them for both of us. This is the first ime he has taken mine. As soon as I saw his pill box I knew what had happened. Tonight I will put my pills in a different place than his.
jean you may try to give him some salty foods like nuts too? that would raise the BP some as well as the fluids. he has taken quite a bit extra for BP so watch him if hes up. he may get whoozy and you dont want an accident. maybe he will sleep it off. with that much BP meds you may want to ask the dr if he should skip the reg ones tomorrow. if you have a BP machine or cuff you may want to take the BP and watch it. if it get below 90/50's.. you may need to do something. i know when DH bp dropped due to some prostate meds his was 90/40 in ER and he was very weak and more confused. hope he does ok. let us know! divvi
Jean I just read your post, and I was curious about the jerking, my husband does that a lot now...and as for the drugs, I heard the same thing, that they only work for 18 months to 2 years. My DH has been on them for two years now, but at the UCSF Alzheimer and Memory center they told me that they are not sure how long the drugs will work on EOAD, because they have only really been tested on more advanced cases. Not sure if that is true or not, but it did give us hope that the drugs may help for longer, for what its worth. Hugs, Linda
Jean, please keep us posted! Linda, my husband sometimes jerks a lot, sometime a little and sometimes not at all. We both just ignore it as if it doesn't happen. It seems to be the way HE prefers it. I really can't offer advice on this one. ((((HUGS)))) - Mary
Divvi, DH made a sandwich for himself a while ago and had chocolate chip cookies after the sandwich so nothing has affected his appetite!!! He has never eaten nuts, I don't know why other than he doesn't like them. Right now he has gone to bed and if things are as usual he will sleep for 1 to 2 hours.
mimiS, DH has had the jerks for a long time just not very often until the past week or so. They have been every day. We saw his neuro over a week ago and of course he wasn't jerking then. I know I've told the neuro about them in one of the lists I type up for him but that was probably when we first went to see him and DH hadn't had too many then or since. We don't see the neuro until January but if DH keeps jerking I will call and see if anything can be done to slow or stop them. BTW DH's Dx is Alzheimer's.
I think maybe we should do as Mary and her DH, ignore it. I told the doctor, and they said they could check him out if I thought it necessary, hmmmm, now what do I know about all this????? They told me to have him drink Tonic Water....he wanted to add Gin, :-),because they thought it might be muscle cramps. He does have muscle cramps, and that did help, but still has the twitching. It doesn't seem to bother him, but I don't sleep well anyway so it keeps me awake...especially since he wants to sleep right up against me. Doctors just sent a report saying he has Dementia, etiology most likely Alzheimer's but he does have a frontal flavor. DX two years ago at 57
Those little "jerks" could be a condition called myoclonus. My husband never experienced them but some of my other caregiver friends dealt with them. If they become severe there are meds that can be prescribed.
mimiS At the top of the pages where Discussions, Categories, Search & Account are, click on search, type in whatever subject & click search. It will then bring up previous topics. Sometimes you will need to play around with words to find what you are looking for.
I think DH is getting worse. Between the pills this morning and then this afternoon he was supposed to put somethings in the fridge and he put them in the pantry! Of course he thinks he is fine and that everybody forgets at times. I know that but it isn't the forgetting it is what they forget. I can tell him something and a couple of minutes later he will bring it up and have whatever I said all wrong. Like I said almost 2 years ago..."I don't think I am going to make it as a caregiver".
My husband has the jerking and the neurologist noted in her notes, but said unless they get bad not to worry about them. He has kicked me or hit me with his hand a few times. I have learned to sleep with my back to him if he faces my way.
They do not know how long the AD drugs will be effective. They say 18 months to 2 years because that is how long the trials were. Time will tell how long in reality they will be effective. And again, they don't work for everyone. Also, I would think there may be a time where they were working but the disease has gone in a different direction and no longer works. There are just so many unknowns with this horrible disease.
I keep my pills in a totally separate place from hb so he doesn't get confused. Fortunately all I take is thyroid, vitamins and supplements.
Missing: one cheese grater. It was in the dish rack and he put it away a few weeks ago and now can't find where he put. There are only so many places in a motorhome to put stuff. He doesn't remember either. It is a flat one that I put under the silverware tray where it fits nicely. I have had it for 38 years and can't find one in the stores like it - so far. Next stop is look in the thrift stores.
Jean, I hope you gave yourself a big pat on the back. You said those words two years ago, and look where you are now - still keeping on keeping on. We caregivers ROCK!
Jean, YOU don't get him down from the 3rd floor. This is a situation where you call 911 and the paramedics get him down.
It has taken me years to understand when you call the paramedics and when you drive into emergency yourself. Your insurance will cover the paramedics for a lot of stuff, and ALWAYS if they take you to the hospital. They know when you need to go there.
Six years ago it took 3 large men to get me out of a chair and onto a gurney. There was no way my husband could have gotten me to our car by himself. I spent 4 days in a hospital because I could not stand up. My situation and Jean's husband's situation is close enough to be the same kind of thing.
One morning I, myself, took DH's pills & gave him mine. A little caregiver dementia. Didn't realize it until I began to feel light headed & realized what I'd done. Called the pharmacist, he said to eat bread, I think, maybe water, can't remember now. If DH felt odd after taking my female hormones, he never mentioned it! By evening we were both fine.
DH made it through the pill taking without any problem. I told him to let me know if he felt weak or dizzy. According to the Pharmacist the PremPro wouldn't hurt him. The ones I was worried about were my BP pills. He takes 10mg of Lisinopril and he had taken 240mg of Diltiazem and 100 of Cozaar! He did sleep until 9.00am yesterday morning and had gone to bed before 7.00 but I kept checking on him so I guess all is well. Until the next time:-)
Good luck with Lisinopril, but keep some Benedryl handy in case he gets what is a very common reaction to it. After 5 months on it suddenly my tongue swelled up and I was taken to the emergency room. The guys in the ambulance had started me on IV Benedryl plus something else. The ER doctor said it was a classic case lisinopril allergy. But I'd been on it for 5 months with no problems I told him. He said that some people took it for as long as 2 years before having problems. I was told to never never take any Beta blockers ever again in my entire life. The whole experience was scary.
About the pills. My husband has only taken his pills twice in one morning once. Considering what he takes it was odd that I didn't notice what had happened until later that day when he said he didn't feel good. He got over it remarkably quickly.
I generally either see him take his pills, or check to make sure they were taken. It is one of the few things he still can do on his own along with making himself breakfast and cutting up his own tomatoes for salad. I don't eat tomatoes so that is the excuse I used when I realized that if I made him continue doing what he could do he would be easier to care for longer.
As for drug allergies coming on suddenly, I developed an allergy to Penicillin several days into a course of the drug. Got a little warm on the second pill of the third day on it, and almost died when I took the third pill that day.
There is a phone number you can call about overdosing/mistakes in drug usage. I put it in my typewritten personal telephone numbers and have called it a couple of times for the same reasons you all have mentioned here. You will talk to a Nurse or someone in the know. Phone number is for Poison Control 1-800-642-3625. Tell them what happened and they will check for things to look for. Another phone number it is handy to have handy. They will call you back in a couple hours to see if all is well.