Caring For Aging Parents Support Group
Caring for aging parents can be a difficul time as we become the caretakers for our parents. This broad responsibility can encompass such services as assisted living, adult day care, long term care, nursing homes, hospice care, and in-home care. Whether you have just started caring for your parents or just need a place to talk, we're here.
My mother is having a problem of diabetes. From past few weeks I have been noticing changes in her behavior. I am the only person who takes care of her medication.
After a few days I have been realized that she had prescriptions for Percocet from various doctors. When I tried to discuss about this issue her answers were vague. Now she began to change the numbers on the prescription list so that she would get more pills. Now I realized that had become addicted to Percocet.
Please help me how can I handle this terrible situation?
After a few days I have been realized that she had prescriptions for Percocet from various doctors. When I tried to discuss about this issue her answers were vague. Now she began to change the numbers on the prescription list so that she would get more pills. Now I realized that had become addicted to Percocet.
Please help me how can I handle this terrible situation?
Do you have medical power of attorney and/or are you listed on her files at the doctor(s) as having access to her chart? If you do then you are in a much stronger position to make an intervention.
How well do you know her doctors? You might want to pick one that you know the best and have a conversation with her/him about this. Detoxing from abuse of pain meds can be complicated, requiring a gradual step down rather than going cold turkey. So please, before you take action get some medical advice. If you are not allowed to talk to her doctor, then talk to your doctor. They should be able to give you guidelines, but will heavily qualify everything they say by stating that they are not your mother's doctor and do not have her charts to guide them.
Sorry for asking more questions than giving suggestions.
Pepper
ps, you might want to repost this as a general discussion topic. They tend to get more replies than the advice posting.
Oh yes, welcome to DS!
The one thing I would do is check her prescription labels and determine whom is her primary and then make some phone calls to the other doctor offices and notify them that she has multiple prescriptions for the same medication. Of course she'll shop around some more so maybe it's time for a family intervention, if that's possible.