Med Help Needed

LucyStone

Hello! My dear mom is unable to verbalize anything now. She has recently begun to be more combative and agitated with the staff at her nursing home. The Dr. felt she may be in some type of pain, so he prescribed traMADol HCl Oral Tablet 50 MG before bed. He said it is a good place to start. Mom is already on 75mg of traZODone HCl Oral Tablet. She is very, very tired now and more confused. Thoughts on that pain medicine for a pain we don't even know she has? THANK YOU!

Quilting brings calm

ask if she needs something like Seroquel instead for agitation. Mirtrazipine might work better for sleep than trazadone. It did for my mom.

M1

tramadol is pretty benign, but I agree that Seroquel would probably be a better choice overall. Im generally unimpressed with trazodone also, which can cause dry mouth and constipation. Can start with a very low dose of Seroquel, 12.5 or 25 mg at bedtime.

Iris L.

Check for a silent urinary tract infection, since this appears to be a new behavior. You can use a "nun's cap" in the toilet to collect urine for culture. Also check the limbs and abdomen for pain. Is she constipated? Check the mouth for a bad tooth or gums causing pain. Check the feet for ingrown toenails or blisters.

Iris

LucyStone

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/216757#Comment_216757

Thank you! I have been asking for a UTI test!!! The nursing home tells me she doesn't qualify because she doesn't have the symptoms! I keep reminding them she is 87 and has Alzheimer's. She is incontinent, so they told me she would have to be catheterized to test her. I have been arguing this for three weeks. Their answer was to put her on Tramadol.

Iris L.

So sad, these people are so ignorant. Many members have posted their own experiences of their PWD's change in behavior, some changes being subtle, but due to a silent uti. You can Google and print out "silent UTI" and "nun's cap for urine collection" and give to them.

Be sure to demand a culture to enable finding the correct antibiotic, because some bladder bacteria are resistant to the common antibiotics.

Iris

LucyStone

THANK YOU!