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I had to start crushing my mother’s medication (Trazodone, Sertraline, and blood pressure pills) recently. I asked my husband to crush the pills, mix in cranberry juice while I got my mother out of bed and doing the usual cleaning up getting her in a clean gown etc. I gave her the cranberry juice and fed her breakfast. I noticed my mother was not acting herself at all. She could not sit still, talking to herself, being argumentative with me, and plain acting crazy! After 3.5 hours my mother’s behavior was to a point, she was causing me to be anxious, nervous, and furious with her. So, I asked my husband are you sure you put mama's meds in her cranberry juice? Well, he crushed them in a bowl but did not put in cranberry juice. I could never ever take care of my mother without her Trazodone and Sertraline. How do family members care for dementia people without being on behavior medication?
The medication makes her act normal not a zombie like you would think. I am worn out after almost 4 hours. In the future, I will not be asking my husband for his help. I had to take an Ativan to calm my
anxiety. I love my mom but I have no interest in ever being a caregiver again! If I had to take care of her with no behavior medication, I would be hospitilized within a week. I will assure you it will not happen again! What a wild 3.5 hours.

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Not all Alzheimer's/dementia patients require medications for their behavior, in fact most don't. It's usually only those who's behaviors are extreme, that medications are used.
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Beeshepard Jun 2021
Thanks for response.
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I am so sorry that your husband didn’t place her meds in her juice. Maybe he misunderstood or for some reason he wasn’t comfortable with handling her meds.

I am like you. I believe in utilizing meds if necessary. There is a reason why they were prescribed to her.

I know an elderly woman (80 years old) who has such high anxiety that I can only be around her for a very brief time. She starts to imagine the very worst scenarios! Anyway, then she complains about being unstrung. When I ask if she took the meds that her doc prescribed for her, she replies, “Oh no, I am afraid of those things!” I gave up trying to talk with her. She’s a hopeless case. She refuses to take meds for her extreme anxiety and depression.

Your mom’s situation is different though. She has Alzheimer’s disease. Plus, she didn’t refuse her meds. Your hubby failed to place them in her drink. I don’t blame you for becoming unnerved by this situation.
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My eyebrows shot up to my hairline - hand your husband the patient information leaflet from the Sertraline, to impress on him the seriousness of what he did. You *can't* suddenly skip it without sending your poor mother into a tailspin. It sounds as if he didn't understand the basics.

PS I'm sure you will have checked this - are all the medications suitable for crushing? That'll be on the patient information leaflet too. If not, we often find that putting them one at a time on top of a small spoonful of yoghurt or other creamy-textured food helps the tablet go down. Mostly we're doing this because the client has mild swallowing difficulties or trouble picking up a tablet, but even among clients with dementia very few refuse their medications if you approach it as a matter of course.
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Thanks!
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