How can I reduce Mum's medications?
My mum takes a dozen or so drugs for various ailments and I'm beginning to wonder whether at 91 she really needs to take so many tablets. She has difficulty taking most of them and some make her feel worse. Should I suggest to her doctor to reduce them? I've heard of other doctors taking elderly patients off their meds with little effect.
Have her start taking brown rice protein it's amazing healthy and can be found online.
It's a good idea to ask the GP to organise a medication review - this is usually done by the pharmacist coming out to the house or place of residence of the patient with a list (from the GP) of the current medical issues faced by the patient. The parmacist will then go through the medications with the patient and carer to find the best options for the patient. Often patients have been taking medications for long periods which are no longer required or are no longer the most effective medication for their condition so it's worth doing the review.
I had my Dad taken off most of his medication not so long ago after witnessing how much trouble he had swallowing them. The nursing home were crushing them in fruit but he still spat them out. We figured he wasn't getting most of them anyway so the doctor agreed to a trial run. The painkillers were the main worry but now he has a patch which works well. No harm asking your mum's doctor if all the tablets are really necessary also ask the pharmacy what they think.
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