Chemical sedation?

ecosarah

My dad (77) has Alzheimer's and is now in a VA-supported nursing home after a number of scary hospitalizations left us with no real alternatives. Recently I was visiting and found him sound asleep. I waited for over 30 minutes, making some noise here and there but he didn't wake. Eventually I went out to talk to one of the nurses to see how he'd been doing since I was last in and they kind of whispered to me that he was passed out because they'd put him on 750mg of depakote. I didn't know what that was and looked it up when I got home and now I'm pretty upset. I feel like a drug like this shouldn't be given without discussing the risks with the family. I am POA and HCP. Has anyone had experience with anything like this? We don't have a lot of options for facilities but this really concerns me.

M1

Welcome to the forum. I would be upset too, and I would absolutely request a meeting or telephone call with the treating physician and forcefully state that you expect to be consulted Ahead of time regarding medication recommendations and any changes. Depakote can be a helpful medication, for sure, but he ought not to be comatose on it, and you can ask about the dosing and how the plan to monitor it (drug levels, blood counts and liver function tests need to be checked periodically).