Posted by donnam125 on December 17, 2009, at 13:50:09
I need some assistance. My Mother, who is 97, has been on SSRIs for nearly two years. First on Paroxetine 20mg/day for about 10 months, then on Sertraline 50mg for 6 months and upped to 100mg the last 5.5 months.
I don't see any change for the better in her, in fact, there are signs of greater depression, fatigue, lethargy, insomnia, confusion, delusions, and loss of appetite. I believe these are potential side effects of this medication, with perhaps some of her own dimentia.
My question is, I would like to wean her off of this med, but am very concerned I may do her more harm. Her quality of life, especially mentally, is so poor now from this though, I'm having a tough time reconciling that I shouldn't.
She is relatively healthy for her age physically, and the only other meds she's on are Atenelol (25mg) and Lisinopril (10mg) for blood pressure, Furosemide (20mg) for occasional water retention, and Lorazepam as needed to help her sleep. I also have her on Vitamins C (2000), E (400IU), D3 (1000IU), and B12 (5000mcg), Ubiquinol (100mg), and a multivitamin. Her doctor really is of little help to me when I question him, because he just seems a bit dismissive with me and says things like "she's 97 years old, what do you expect." That just doesn't comfort me much. I would like whatever years she has left to not be so tormenting for her, especially since she is able to still walk and do things on her own.
Can anyone shine some light on this? I would really appreciate it.
poster:donnam125
thread:929718
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20091217/msgs/929718.html