85 yr old parent with dementia and doctor has started blood pressure medicine, not sure it's working or warranted?

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85 yr old parent with dementia and doctor has started blood pressure medicine, not sure it's working or warranted?

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About a month ago at a doctor check up (parent had been more tired than usual, had a couple mornings with difficulty walking), doc put mom on blood pressure medicine. Her pressure before had been slightly elevated often, but no medicine. I'm not sure if the medicine is working, or making her even more tired. More importantly, at this point I question should we be adding medications at this point? She is still physically walking on her own (though getting slower) and pocketing food, otherwise still seems ok with the level of dementia. Thoughts? If the medicine makes her sleep all day, that doesn't seem like quality of life anymore.

Alzheimer's & Dementia High Blood Pressure

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I’m on 2 different BP meds, Lisinopril and Clonidine and neither makes me so tired that I sleep all day. Did she have blood tests? Vitamin deficiencies can cause a feeling of tiredness too. Report her symptoms back to the doctor and ask if this is how she should be feeling.

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Yes, blood tests all normal. I also thought she just might be more tired because of age and dementia. Have follow up soon. Just wondering about starting new medications when within throes of dementia, really.

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Someone once gave the advice here that as people age, they decide they deserve the luxury of napping or out and out snoozing whenever they want to and for as long as they feel like. Perhaps they put in a long, hard life of working, raising children, running a home, etc. Now, all of the sudden they have no responsibilities. Someone else is providing all their needs. Maybe it’s boredom. She should be checked for depression but in my experience, antidepressants are marginally successful and it’s sometimes not a good idea to give them to dementia patients. If you think she’s bored, if you can, take her to the park for an outing before the weather gets too bad, or maybe to a flea market where she might see things she will remember. However, if the lethargy continues or gets worse, call her doctor.

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I would get a BP cuff and check her everyday. As we age our BP can be a little high. Transporting her to the doctor may have caused some stress so BP high. Normal is 120/80. If her bp a lot less than she is now low and can cause her to be tired. She may just need an adjustment. There are nurses on this forum who can help better to me.

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Because stroke can be so devastating, taking a person from normal to bedridden in one "event", controlling blood pressure as we age is very important. Today most people survive strokes to live on with disability. The elderly are far less likely to recover function following a stroke because their brains are not as elastic as younger people and cannot form new pathways.

The doctor may have been concerned that your mother's difficultly walking a couple of mornings might be an indication of TIAs or mini-strokes. Blood pressure is at its highest in the early hours of the morning when most strokes occur. Some blood pressure medicines do make you feel tired at least until your body adjusted to the "new normal" blood pressure. I suggest checking all of mom's medicines and see how many have a drowsiness side effect. Discuss your concerns with the doctor in a call or on the next visit; medications or dosages may need adjustment, Please do not discontinue the medication without at least a call to the doctor's office since discontinuing some medications results in an immediate spike in blood pressure with a high risk of stroke.

Personally I would not withhold medications for basic conditions like congested heart failure, COPD, blood pressure, thyroid, and diabetes even in advanced dementia patients because of the discomfort level these conditions can cause when not treated.

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Bee there, I agree with you. Going out quickly from a heart attack or stroke seems to me to be much better than going on and on with dementia. There was a post here a while back about a strong minded woman in her 80s who had stopped taking those tablets deliberately, and died six months later as she fully intended. Perhaps it needs to be combined with a determination to avoid being rushed to hospital to see if you can be resuscitated. Do you have any idea what your mother would wish? Did you ever have the conversations about end of life care, or do you think you can guess pretty well.

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The unfortunate reality is that heart attacks are very painful and strokes are not always fatal, neither are a guarantee of a quick painless end.

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bee, I reflect too on whether/what meds are artificially prolonging my mom’s life, BP meds is one of them since she had a heart attack. In her pill collection for blood sugar control, BP, baby aspirin and thyroid, the one I’m most dubious about is the statin. I’m glad you’re going for a followup, I would too.

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If Mom iss in her 80's or older I would consider stopping the statin especiallty if on Thyroid meds. Forget what Mom was on, but the statin effected the liver and so did Moms thyroid med. Since Moms numbers had been running high, she was taken off the statin. It was more important getting her Thyroid under control. She had Graves. The doctor said at her age and Dementia she really didn't need them anymore, Have her doctor do a liver test and see if her enzymes are high. If they r he should take her off the statin. Do not allow him to prescribe Wellcall. Its 6 large pills and causes constipation.

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Dementia can make you sleep all day too.If she is much more lethargic after a reasonable time to adjust to the medication maybe the doc should change the dose.If she still feels this way then maybe stop the blood pressure meds.I noticed docs prescribing blood pressure meds if someone has an issue with heart disease even if the patients blood pressure is only slightly elevated.Other medications and even over the counter cold medicine can cause slightly elevated blood pressure.Be a bit of a detective to figure out what's going on. Lengthening a life but destroying quality of life doesn't seem to make sense to me.

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I believe that "lengthening a life but destroying quality of life" unfortunately has become the American way. My mother is 93 and bedridden, but has been started on a cholesterol medication because her level is 200 (which is just borderline). I have doubts as to the wisdom of foisting such drugs on to someone that age. When my father was alive, he had to go into the hospital because of having gotten food lodged in his esophagus and stayed there a few days because of atrial fibrillation. While there he was off his "diet" of medications, and he seemed to perk up. We've all seen the advertisements for drugs listing a textbook full of side effects. I suspect the subject of effects of drugs on elderly people is not addressed as well as it needs to be in training programs.

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I am 82 and in good health, but I quit taking BP medicine because I didn't like the way it made me feel. The BP in MD's office is usually 20 points higher than it is at home (White Coat syndrome, plus they don't give you rest time before they measure it). I still take statins because my cholesterol was over 300, but I think I will stop those as well as they have been linked to dementia, which I fear more than death--although I suppose if you are the one with dementia, it is your family that suffers more. I want them to remember me as the Happy Wanderer who has visited more than 100 countries, not some mean old hag screaming at them to do things.

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My Cholesterol is 265. I have chosen not to take a statin because my Mom had Dementia. I am not a pill popper anyway. I had a doctor tell me not to take anything to lower Cholesterol. It effects the brain and the brain needs cholesterol.

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"I believe that 'lengthening a life but destroying quality of life' unfortunately has become the American way."

This is not inevitable. People have a right to determine how they live and how they die. Period.

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My 92 year old Mom has been on 2 BP meds for years and they never made her tired or caused my Mom to take naps during the day. I do give my Mom vitamins and make her healthy meals.

I agree that vitamin and mineral deficiencies can make anyone tired.

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'Lengthening a life..." is great for the Big Pharma, Nursing Home industry and MDs. It should be a patient's choice, but sometimes they don't know they are entitled to their choice. Especially older folks, of a certain generation, who often took very little responsibility for their own health (diet, exercise, excesses) and relied upon the Dr. to tell them what pill to take to "fix it". Obviously, with someone with dementia they can no longer make their own choices. Whoever is your mom's HCPOA should be making that choice for her.

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I agree that our parents think the doctor is always right. After complaining to my Moms primary about an incident in the hospital, he agreed with me and then said...it is said but this is the way the health system is now. So, you need to be an advocate. TG I was the child that was here and new about everyone of Moms hospital stays, procedures and operations because tests would have been done that didn't need to be done.

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If it was me I do everything in my power to see to it that my loved one was not on any pharmaceuticals. They cause more harm than good. Once your on that big pharma hamster wheel it’s hard to get off. The good Lord provided everything and I mean everything we need to heal and cure our ills through good organic healthy food and clean pure filtered water.
Doctors are not gods or miracle workers. Their poisonous pills are called “treatment” for a reason, because that’s all it is treatment, they don’t cure anything. In fact for every one prescription you take you’ll probably need five more to combat the side effects of the first one. Do yourself a favor eat right, get plenty of sleep, drink clean water and move.
When Hippocrates said “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food” he wasn’t kidding. Great words to live by.

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Beautiful answer -- thank you!

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You didn't say what her BP is, that would help us. I am 84 my BP is usually in the 133/70 range. My doctor is happy if I keep it under 140/80 for my age. I agree on the BP cuff. I have "White Coat" syndrome, if I see a white coat my BP goes up. Also, you need to be sitting for 5 minutes or so before they take it. I have been on three different BP medicines, I find that the only one that keeps it down is Amlodipine. It makes my feet swell but the others don't work for me. If I am not careful my BP goes to 220/110. The problem with strokes is, you might not die.

I would find out what her BP is, purchase a cuff, take it random times every day for a couple of days, after that every couple of days. Be sure she is sitting for 5 minutes or so.

None of the BP meds have ever made me sleepy or lathregic. Could it be a new phase of her dementia?

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Jacobsonbob, this is ridiculous to put an elderly person on cholesterol pills. I forgot to mention in my post to Zardov that statins have been proven to contribute to Dementia. There r people on this site that have commented that when a LO has been taken off their cognitive ability seems better. 200 is borderline. At Moms age I wouldn't worry about it. Women's cholesterol goes up after menopause because Estrogen helps to keep it low.

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It is a Blood Pressure Medication not for cholesterol.

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Unless the blood pressure was dangerously high or she is having other effects from increased blood pressure I would opt not to take the medication.
If she is reasonably aware she can decline the medication as well. But if you are her POA for health I would not bother.
Now is there a possibility that the dementia is Vascular? If so she does run a higher risk of having a stroke.
Flip a coin on this one...another few years with dementia or a stroke. Chances are she would not recover from a stroke and we know she will not recover from the dementia. (sorry if this sounds flippant it was not intended to be taken that way)
I think at this point the fewer the medications the better. It is difficult enough to get someone with dementia to take the medications that are needed let alone adding one that may or may not be of use.

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I AM NOT A DOCTOR, BUT I DO VOLUNTEER WITH HOSPICE, THE DOCTORS THERE TEND TO DECREASE MEDICATIONS RATHER THAN MAINTAIN OR START NEW ONES. I WOULD AT LEAST GET A SECOND OPINION ABOUT THIS TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS MEDICINE IS NEEDED. AT 85 TO START A BLOOD PRESSURE SEEMS HIGHLY QUESTIONABLE AN NO DOCOTR WORTH HIS/HER SALT SHOULD HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH THIS

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Please avoid all capital letters. Are you aware that it's considered 'shouting' on the internet?

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Please see that she is seen by a geriatric physician. Also ask why she is hiding food on her person.

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If I were you I’d sit with that prescribing provider and ask “why” at her age- and if she it’s really necessary to begin any new meds if your mom is feeling relatively good.

I believe eve in the appropriate use of medication but at some point one should step back and look at your mom’s health and well being and maybe discuss not prescribing it.

That said, all medications given for the heart are not only meant to lower BP For instance - ACE inhibitors- ie Lisinopril - which is given for the medications other value of shunting blood to major organs as a preventative measure. I’ve seen several people on doses of 2.5mg not for BP control but their ACE effect to shunt blood to vital organs (ie the kidneys).

Everyone is different. Work with your mother’s doctors to maintain her current level of function. I would seriously question the addition of any new medication and, IF then, only with a lot of thought, research and asking her PCP if quality of life could be challenged - specifically increasing her risk of a fall at home.

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Before thinking and taking decisions, observe. If your thinking avers to be through, talk again with your doctor, certainly if she takes more than 5 medicine and see if they all are compatible with each other. Then decide with your doctor.

Yves van de Calseyde - Belgium - EC.

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I have decided it is not fare to prolong this desease. I am for comfort from pain & make life livable for caregiver.

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85 yr old parent with dementia and doctor has started blood pressure medicine, not sure it's working or warranted?

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