http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/antipsychotics-linked-to-increased-risk-of-death-for-patients-with-alzheimer%e2%80%99s-disease-2361/ News and Information about Personal Injury Lawsuits Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:05:41 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/antipsychotics-linked-to-increased-risk-of-death-for-patients-with-alzheimer%e2%80%99s-disease-2361/comment-page-1/#comment-11159 Margaret Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:00:41 +0000 http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/?p=2361#comment-11159 My mother was put on this drug in 1999 after a brief "Extremely anxious/psychotic episode) initially 3mg reduced to 1mg. In 2005 she had to go into a Care Home because she gave up walking due to arthritis. Initially she was in emergency respite care and after a place was found for her in a care home nearer to home she began to walk again. As she was 89 and Social Worker said the Day Centre would have to do a full assessment before allowing her to attend again and this could take some time we admitted her into her current care home. After about a month the Care home owner increased her dose back to 3mg - she was always prescribed between 1 - 3mg. When I found out about this after my mother collapsed and thus broke her left hip I asked the Care home owner to reduce the dose but she was adamant not too saying my mother was at risk of having a fall! I argued that I wanted her to discuss this with the GP (they changed her GP the day she was admitted to the home). She didn't discuss with GP. I spoke to the Deputy Manager about my concerns of my mother being on this high dose and she said they would have to review with GP so I asked them to do this. They didn't. After a recent hospitalisation with another UTI I discovered my mother was still being given 3 mg of Trifluoperazine so I approached the GP direct. He agreed to reduce the dose to 2mg and for me to report my findings (I visit my mother every day). In the 4 years she has been at the home I don't feel this medication has been properly reviewed by the GP and my mother certainly hasn't had any psychiatric input whilst at this home. My mother was put on this drug in 1999 after a brief “Extremely anxious/psychotic episode) initially 3mg reduced to 1mg. In 2005 she had to go into a Care Home because she gave up walking due to arthritis. Initially she was in emergency respite care and after a place was found for her in a care home nearer to home she began to walk again. As she was 89 and Social Worker said the Day Centre would have to do a full assessment before allowing her to attend again and this could take some time we admitted her into her current care home. After about a month the Care home owner increased her dose back to 3mg – she was always prescribed between 1 – 3mg. When I found out about this after my mother collapsed and thus broke her left hip I asked the Care home owner to reduce the dose but she was adamant not too saying my mother was at risk of having a fall! I argued that I wanted her to discuss this with the GP (they changed her GP the day she was admitted to the home). She didn’t discuss with GP. I spoke to the Deputy Manager about my concerns of my mother being on this high dose and she said they would have to review with GP so I asked them to do this. They didn’t. After a recent hospitalisation with another UTI I discovered my mother was still being given 3 mg of Trifluoperazine so I approached the GP direct. He agreed to reduce the dose to 2mg and for me to report my findings (I visit my mother every day). In the 4 years she has been at the home I don’t feel this medication has been properly reviewed by the GP and my mother certainly hasn’t had any psychiatric input whilst at this home.

]]>