Dementia and Medications

Sarahk182 · June 18

My grandmother was diagnosed with moderate dementia not long ago.. I moved in with her a year ago. And my husband and I are really the only family members involved.. well, about a month ago she was complaining daily about how many medications she had to take and said she didn't need all of them. I explained well, most of them are vitamins and the ones that are not are for your thyroid and BP, so we can't get rid of those, but maybe the vitamins? (In reality. We switched to a multi vitamin instead of individual ones to make it look like less pills.) Well. She continued to complain.. she's always been really good about taking her pills regardless though, with me reminding her when to take them of course. But a week ago, she stopped complaining. Which set off a tiny warning bell in the back of my mind. And a few days ago I noticed.. Instead of taking them immediately when I give them to her, like she usually does, she'll hold them in her hand and try to go to her bedroom to take them, or wait until I turn my back.. and I realized yesterday that I haven't physically seen her swallow them in at least a few days. And her symptoms have gotten worse over the past few days. I feel like she's throwing them away when I turn my back. Last night I made it a point to watch her until she took them and she was not happy about it at all. I feel like a failure for not catching on sooner. Am I going crazy? Or is she throwing them away? I havent found them in the trash can.. but Im convinced shes not been taking them, despite not having physical evidence, other than her sneaky and odd behavior..

Maru · June 18

She may have found a good hiding place, but, yes, I would watch her take her pills. As to the vitamins, with moderate dementia, I would stop the vitamins and just give her prescription pills. Without her thyroid meds you probably will notice a change in behavior.

H1235 · June 18

Welcome. I think it’s not uncommon for a person with dementia to become suspicious and mistrustful. I can picture my mom doing this(thankfully she hasn’t). I can definitely understand how you might question your suspicions. Your grandma is probably someone you have always trusted to be honest, it must feel wrong to not trust her. Many with dementia have anosognosia. This is an inability to recognize their symptoms or limitations. If she believes there is nothing wrong with her, then that might explain why she won’t take her medicine. You are right to feel the need to closely monitor her medication intake. I would watch her very closely to make sure she is actually taking it. Caring for our loved one often makes them upset, but it’s what we have to do. If she becomes angry it might be time to talk with her doctor. Medication for anxiety or an increase in them might be needed. The other option is to ask her doctor if the medicine can be crushed and added to her food. I wouldn’t put this off since things may spiral into an even more difficult situation. You are not going crazy!

Anosognosia and Dementia - AgingCare.com.pdf

Call me Gram · June 18

This doesn't directly solve the issue you have, but something I found regarding my DH's meds vs supplements... His prescription meds are necessary, so I pair them with gummy supplements. For some patients, such as those w/diabetes, this might not be ideal. But, DH was complaining he was taking too many pills. Magnesium helps him sleep (slightly), so I switched his magnesium supplement to gummy chews.

When it's time to take his evening meds and DH says it is too many meds, I suggest that we could stop the magnesium gummies, because they are not required. Of course, he loves the gummies, so he reaches out for his meds without complaint. He takes his prescription pills and then eats his gummies - they are a treat for him.

Damiross · June 18

My wife would refuse medicine over half the time. At times, you should insist on taking only one or two. Also found out she had the habit of putting them into her mouth but not swallowing up. I would always have to tell her to swallow.

I ended up crushing them and putting them into her food. She had scrambled eggs just about every morning and scrambled eggs are perfect for fresh medicine. Corn is also another good item to put them in. Another item is ice cream. Applesauce is a recommended item but my wife doesn't like applesauce. Hot chocolate is also good if she doesn't want to drink water.

I did find out you do not put crushed medicine into a soda, which is what she drank most of the time. The medicine causes the soda to fizz up real good.

JulietteBee · June 19

Before giving mom her pills to swallow, she is now told to get a mouthful of water first. I then put her pills in her hand and watch her swallow them, followed by more water.

She was previously caught putting ther pills I left out for her, back in the bottle after I left. My mom can no longer be trusted. I watch her like a hawk.

fesk · June 19

Hopefully, this is just a phase, but I wouldn't recommend stopping any - even the multivitamin. Maybe if there are any pills you take, you can take them at the same time and make it a routine. Are any of the pills big? Maybe she is beginning to have difficulty swallowing the larger ones and is having some discomfort. That may be why she is avoiding taking them. If the multivitamin is large, look for a smaller alternative or gummy that can be cut. If taking the medicine is still an issue after time, check to see which ones can be crushed (I believe the multivitamin cannot) and maybe do that and put them in applesauce.

SusanB-dil · July 8

We went through this stage. Turned out she was hiding them in a kitchen drawer. Found a bunch when we needed batteries for the remote. There was no rhyme nor reason. Some were vitamins, some were prescription. Then… we were watching her. She was taking two in her hand, and 'dropping' one in her lap. To me, it was rather amazing that a PWD could be so sneaky!

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