Administering medication

New role

how should I respond to my wife when she demands her prescribed medications that I have just given her.nothing that I have done works. There is no changing the subject with her. Redirecting do not work. I have tried giving her a vitimine istead, but she reconise it as not being the medicine . She gets very angry and violent at times, because I do not give her medicins again. She acuses me of trying to slowly kill her. Her doctor has prescribed medicin for her agitation  but she continues to ask about why I don't give her medicins. Explanations do not work. I even have her to mark on the daily calinder each time the medicins is given , which is only twice a day. She acuse me of marking it but not giving the medicins.

M1

Hi, this is a tough one! I wonder if setting a timer with a sound would help? Like when you give her the medicine, set a timer (with her participation) for when the next dose is due. So that when she asks, you say, "have you heard the timer yet? It will be time when the bell rings." Might be worth a try anyway.  Good luck-

LadyTexan

That is a very challenging situation! I hope M1's great idea works. Good luck!

Cynbar

Have you tried a med cassette? That's a plastic container you can get at any drugstore for a low cost. It has little compartments for the meds, 3 or 4 sections per day, for each of the 7 days of the week. You just pop each one open at the right time and administer the meds, then leave it empty. Most people fill it up weekly, then it's clear for instance if you took your Monday AM meds. Your DW might respond better to a visual aide where she can see clearly that some compartments are empty because the meds have already been taken, some are still full because their time hasn't come yet. I have no suggestions if you try this and she still accuses you of lying to her, that's a tough one.

Ed1937

I like the suggestion of a timer. The pill container might work, but it does not work for my wife. That doesn't mean it won't work for you, and it's worth a try. This is a hard one.

New role

I do have the compartment containers. I also use a daily dose container. I show her as you suggest, but she say the med was never in it.

Ed1937

Have you tried setting an alarm or timer?

New role

I have not tried the alarm yet. My daughter also early on suggested that. But due to her not  being able to accept new information , I don't think it will work. Pluss last night ended in her aggressive behavior landed her in the ER due to her not believing she received her medicins. She is due a follow up with her neurological Dr. Also suggested to have psychiatry added to her care team. Thanks for everyone's concerns. It is comforting to know other understanding people are out there!

M1

IIf she gets aggressive again before you can get her to a psychiatrist, I'd take her back to the ER and insist on admission to a psych ward. Good luck-

Gig Harbor

Does she know how many she gets each time? Could you give her a couple and when she asks or more then give her the rest?

New role

No she don't know how many she take. That is a good idea. Worth trying.

Paris20

I have the opposite-side-of-the-same-coin problem. My husband refuses to take his meds. He has several conditions that require daily medication. His aide and I have tried everything but every am and every pm we go through the same rigmarole. «What is this? Why do I have to take all these pills? I’m not going to do it!» Begging, pleading, stern parental voice, assertive orders follow. Sometimes it works. I have reached the point that when my husband yells at me for trying to help him, I just step away to another room.

New role

So sorry to hear that. My wife at first was that way for a while.now she just can't remember 5 minutes new information. She is fussing with me now. I feel so sorry for her that she can't remember. I just do not understand  why God will allow Christians to experance something like this.

ThisLife

Not sure your wife would understand but there are numerous visual countdown timers and Apps that can be set for custom times.  Just one of many.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.timetimer.android

Would a placebo that resembles that actual medication be possible?

New role

I tried splitting the number of medicins I give each time, but she notice some is missing. That sets things up for more suspicious that I am not giving her what she need.

New role

I posted earlier that introducing new things to my wife don't work. I also tried a substitute  pill, but she reconise it and refused it.

Ed1937

I take very little medication, but I do have two that I take daily. When it is time for meds, I get both hers and mine, and I complain that I have to take them. Then I tell her misery loves company, and she has to take hers too. It usually works when she complains about hers.

New role

I think I have come  up with a solution at least for now. I video tape her taking her  medicin . I show it to her when she keep asking again for her Meds.

M1

Glad you've found something that works for now-