Tips for medication management with dementia

Tips for medication management with dementia

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First of all, it is very difficult to manage  behaviors in people with dementia.  You may be now wondering just how doctors are supposed to manage medications for difficult dementia behaviors. In short, patients need a smart pill dispenser for dementia to be effective in improving dementia behaviors.

Med-Q offers up these key points:

effective in improving dementia behaviors
Improving dementia behaviors
  • First, medication is not the first option. Hence, before beginning a medication, ones should try to identify what is triggering/worsening the behavior. Furthermore, it is critical to work with non-drug approaches.. To sum up, a pill dispenser can be replaced with exercise.
    • A typical problem. pain from being constipated. To illustrate, constipation has been overlooked in people with dementia. For example, the Geriatric doctor will often schedule acetaminophen 3-4 times daily. Hopefully, the patient will not forget or over dose. The reason, men and women suffering from dementia are not always able to articulate their pain levels. Doctors will try titrate laxatives. The goal, a soft bowel movement every couple of days.

A geriatric physician, also called a geriatrician, is a medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease and disability in older adults. Geriatric physicians are primary care doctors who are specially trained in the aging process.

Med-Q Smart Pill Dispenser with alarms for Dementia and Alzheimer
  • As of the date of this [post, no type of medication has been shown to improve behavior with dementia. If one has a pill dispenser filled with pills for this purpose, be prepared to do some trial-and-error dosing. In addition, yt is important to carefully observe how the meds are working. Again, keep track of any side-effects that might be occurring.
  • Antipsychotics and benzodiazepines work on the quick side.. However, a majority of cases, they are working through sedation and chemical restraint. In addition, these have been known to cause a cloud thinking process. In conclusion, it is very important to have the smallest dose of these medications in the pill dispenser.
  • First, Benzodiazepines  will raise the risk of a fall. Furthermore, these medications can be habit forming. Second, these are less likely to prevent hallucinations, delusions as well as degrees of paranoia. To sum up, when a faster-acting medication is needed, geriatricians usually will prescribe antipsychotics to benzodiazepines.
  • Then again, Antidepressants will take a while to work. However, these pills are usually well-tolerated by dementia sufferers. Senior Doctors will also try escitalopram or citalopram in men and women with dementia.
  • Finally, give a dementia drug (such as a cholinesterase inhibitor or memantine) a try.

Non-drug methods are effective in improving dementia behaviors

In short, studies find that non-drug methods are effective in improving dementia behaviors. This being said, it’s not easy to implement these changes. To illustrate, many people with dementia are living at home. Consequently, family, fronds often have limited time and energy to learn and practice behavior management techniques. In addition, a
paid caregiver is very expensive. Despite the risks of
antipsychotics, family members are hoping for some temporary relief.

 pill dispenser with alarms
Older woman refusing medication at home

Agitation or behaviors is a sign that meds aren’t working

First, ongoing agitation or difficult behaviors is a problem. Second, this may be caused by the medication in the pill dispenser. To illustrate, these pills are not effective for your loved one. Hence, time to try a new medication. The best is to work closely with a doctor AND a dementia behavior expert. To sum up, take advantage of social workers and geriatric care managers. Hence, they are very good at dealing with different dementia behaviors.

We at Med-Q Pill dispenser with alarms hopes that this information is helpful;l. For the most [part, this helps to enable you to make more educated judgments as well as other decisions. This way you’ll help ensure that any medications are used thoughtfully, in the lowest doses necessary, and in combination with non-drug dementia behavior management approaches.

If you can’t remember whether you took your medication, what do you do?

What happens if you don’t remember if you took your medications?  When one is not sure if you took a pill, never, ever just take another dose yet. What could happen if you double dose?  If someone ingests an additional dose, the consequences can be deadly. In fact, an extra dose can raise the risk of harmful effects. Check your pill organizer, count the remaining pills in the bottle, or review the instructions that came with your prescription to find specific guidance. 

doctorHealth care profsionals are in agreement, “For most medications, it is safer to accidentally miss a single dose than to double dose” . Keep in mind that the pill/dosing guidelines vary drastically depending on the medication.  For example, it is different for  blood thinners or something like birth control.), it is always best to double-check with a professional.  If in doubt, call the local pharmacy you got the prescription filled.  Also, call e the America’s Poison Centers at 800-222-1222 .  This can help if you are concerned about over dosing. 

For further guidance, consult I can’t remember whether I took my medication, what do I do? on Medical News Today. To help prevent confusion in the future, you can implement some 9 Simple Strategies for Remembering To Take Your Medication or read the Why You Shouldn’t Skip Your Medication guide on WebMD.
 
If you are missing doses consistently, a few strategies can help get your routine back on track:
  • Use a weekly pillbox: These old fashion pill holders can be useful.   They show a quick visual cue to show which days  doses have been taken.
  • Use a Digital Pill Reminder: Medication reminders, like the Med-Q pill Box. have flashing guides.  These alarmed reminders help preventing over dosing. 
  • Try to do Habit stacking: Match up your daily pill-taking with a non-negotiable daily habit.  For example, your first cup of coffee or brushing yourhair.
  • Set electronic reminders: Use persistent reminder apps, alarm clocks, or simple smart phone alarm reminders.

What to do if Unsure?

The worry about over doing is real.  When unsure whether the dose has been taken, the best thing to do is speak with your health care provider or even your pharmacist. They will  advise you on the best course of action based on ythe specific medication. that is over dosed.

pill box for seniors

If you take oral tablets or capsules, you can count how many pills you have left. If you know when you started taking the pills out of that prescription bottle, this could help you determine whether you’ve taken your dose for that day.

Sometimes, when you haven’t taken your medication, there may still be time to take that dose. However, this could depend on the drug and dosing schedule.

Although in some cases, if it’s almost time to take your next dose, your doctor may recommend skipping the missed dose and taking your next dose at its regular time. Never take two doses at once to make up for a missed dose as doing so could raise your risk of side effects.

What happens if you accidentally take your medication twice?

Do not take more of a drug than your doctor prescribes. While serious side effects may be rare, for some medications, taking more than the recommended amount may lead to harmful effects or overdose. Some of the most dangerous medications to double-dose include:

  • heart maintenece medications
  • ADHD drugs, for example “Adderall”
  • medications for Type 1 Diabetes
  • prescription narcotic pain pills
  • psychiatric medications , for example “Wellbutrin.”

If you have any doubt, act quickly. 

Fist of all, contact your doctor right away.  Let them know you may have accidentally taken two doses or three doses of your daily medication. They will offer up advice.  The Healthcare profesional can often advise of what steps to take.  Also, they will let you know about symptoms to watch out for.

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