She is on an anti-depressant, Namenda, and Ativan, plus a few other pills/vitamins. She takes these in the morning. I go over every morning before work but she can be incredibly slow and if I wait around to make sure she takes them, I am late for work, sometimes up to an hour late. And she won't listen or take them for my dad. Once or twice she has even hid them. She questions every pill, what it is what it is for, and argues about the number of pills she takes. She is getting very belligerent about it. At night she takes Namenda and Zyprexa. Once she started refusing to take her evening pills, we started crushing them and mixing in her food. She eats cereal for breakfast, so that's not an option in the morning. I don't know how to handle this. She has been doing better most days since we got her on this regimen, but I'm afraid if she goes off them we will have a real battle on our hands again. Her and my dad still live at home. We take them supper and do the housework and have someone with them a few afternoons and every evening. All family members, and we are all stressed out and exhausted. Dad has declined having someone come in on a regular basis, he knows mom will fight it and blame him. How can I help or do more? We are fresh out of ideas!
Now a days there are "compounding pharmacies" that will make the pill from scratch and include flavors to make the pill more like candy. Now, this is expensive and not all Rx insurance will pay for this process.
Another idea is to see if the pills come in liquid form, that can be added to drinks.
I know what you mean by being stressed out. Our parents want to continue with their own lifestyle while we need to change ours. My Mom refused caregivers/cleaning staff. I tried caregivers for 3 days and it was just too stressful for my Dad as Mom was arguing with him saying they didn't need this help.
As you are handing them to her and she questions them you could take the vitamin and say..you are right you don't need this one now..but you do need these....
If you can get the vitamin in later great but if not don't stress about it.
I crush my husbands meds and put them in his cereal without a problem. Or I will crush them and put them in a bit of banana or applesauce.
Thankfully I have never had a problem getting him to take most meds. (He will not take a gel cap though)
As far as vitamin pills if she is getting a balanced diet there probably is no need for a vitamin. And if it is causing problems just eliminate as many pills as you can.
As has been suggested by many try to get as many as you can in 1 a day doses, extended release or some even come as a patch you can put on. (You have to make sure it stays on and that it comes off and is discarded properly, often a patch will stay on when another is put on so there is a slight chance of an over dose)
My mom fought me on bringing help in, but for some reason if I said I needed the help around the house, etc. she would be ok with it. She is now 81 and in the later stages of dementia and she is still picky about who is around her. Although better, not great and because she can't verbally communicate her feelings she has a tendency to strike out physically. So, then it came down to finding the right person(s) who can deal with that type of behavior. It is possible, but not easy. Good Luck, we are all with you in spirit :)
Delayed Release
Enteric-coated (EC)
Extended release
Effervescent tablet (EVT)
Mucous Membrane irritant (MMI)
Orally Disintegrating tablets (ODT)
Slow-release (SR)
Sublingual forms of drugs
Sustained-release
Do not crush any oral medication that ends in the following letters:
CD CR ER LA SR XL XR XT
I know for my pharmacist, Mondays, and Fridays are the busy times. Also lunch times. I wish you all the best and hope you find some solutions that work best for you and your loved ones.
1) I have a daily pill dispenser so that none of the pills are in their original containers for Mom to see. Therefore:
2) They are all "Vitamins" to keep you healthy, because I/we want to keep you around as long as we can! C - to ward off colds. D - for your bones and teeth. B - for energy, heart health, joint health, eyesight, … make it up as you go if you have to…
3) I take mine at the same time she takes hers, even though mine are just vitamins. We can all probably use more Vitamin D, or another Tic Tac!
4) Triage. I have Mom take the most important ones first… meaning the actual medication… followed by the vitamins, etc.
Good luck!
Nydaughter, great information, as Always!
Some days she gets annoyed at having to take the pills and said "what if I just stop taking them", and I said, "well, that is an option, but then your potassium and magnesium will drop to dangerously low levels and you will go into a coma and die. So it's not a good option, but it is an option". She took the pills.