Blog – Coleen P. Kenny

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) issued a warning this past week about Maalox Total Relief… apparently people were buying it thinking it was their everyday Maalox, Turns out Maalox Total Relief contains bismuth subsalicylate (think Pepto-Bismol).

So what’s the big deal??

Well, people buying the product don’t realize it’s not their ordinary Maalox. They’re reaching for simple antacid relief but they are also getting a diarrhea med that can interact with drugs like Aspirin and increase the risk of bleeding in the stomach or intestine.

This ties closely into a Facebook friend’s post about insomnia. One of her friends suggested Benadryl.

So what’s the big deal??

Benadryl (the brand name for diphenhydramine and the “PM” in so many pain and cold medications) is an excellent medication if you have hives or a bad case of poison ivy or other type of allergic reaction. But the way it works to stop an allergy attack can also cause several side effects: dry mouth, low blood pressure, dizziness, constipation, urinary retention, and a hangover effect, to name a few.

These are bad enough if you’re young and healthy. Give them to an elderly person and you may see falls. You may see behavior issues from constipation or bladder infections. You may see what looks like depression or even dementia due to the hangover effect.

So when you’re picking something out to treat your indigestion or headache or cold symptoms, especially if you take other medications, consider running your choice by the store’s pharmacist or give the nurse in your doctor’s office or at your health insurance company a call—that’s what they’re there for!! And remember, just because you can get it without a prescription, doesn’t make it safe!

PS… What makes me an expert?? Thirteen years prescribing medications to ill and frail patients, not to mention the trouble I have, even as a Nurse Practitioner, in choosing my own cold medicine…. Be safe out there, and don’t forget to ask your doc or pharmacist, or of course, your Nurse Practitioner!!

My soapbox led me to post on Facebook, “If you could ask a geriatric expert a healthcare question about your aging parent or grandparent, what would it be?”

This is the first question and answer in what I hope becomes a blog series useful to all those struggling…

Q: How do you get patients motivated to get up and move around without getting them upset?

My mom is having this problem with my grandma. When my mom tries to get her out of bed, my grandma gets upset with my mom and then it’s hurt feelings all around.

My grandma is 87 and used to doing everything herself so i am certain she has got to be struggling with having to depend on someone to take care of her. Her broken arm is healing well, but I’m sure she is stiff and achey just from being 87!

The staff at the rehab hospital don’t have any ideas, and they are going to discharge her in the next week or two, so this information is going to help my mom when she brings grandma home… and me when my parents need care!

Some ideas to make it less stressful for everyone would be great!

A: My answer is threefold for this complex and not unusual situation.

1. Is her pain managed?

You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned “stiff and achey just from being 87.” Her arm may be healing well, but generalized pain is often overlooked. The frail elder may be comfortable lying still in the bed, but try to move those stiff old muscles and bones, and it hurts. In the hospital, nursing home, or at home, we need to assess pain during movement and not just at rest!! Then one key is timing the pain medication 45-60 minutes before therapy or getting up for the day.
Pain management in the frail elderly is a complex topic, and I will discuss it in a future blog.

2.Depression must be treated!

Anyone in a hospital or rehab loses both function and control; add pain into the mix, and your grandma has every right to, and every likelihood of, a clinical depression.

This depression is not something you or your mom or the staff can pep talk her out of or hug away or tell her to get over, or as one of my patient’s sons did today tell her, “There are people a lot worse off than you.” (I almost kicked him in the shin!)

There are new excellent anti-depressants with fewer side effects than ever before available; I have three medications of choice with my LOLs (little old ladies) depending on other factors such as appetite and pain. Again, in the interest of blogging brevity, depression in the frail elderly is another day’s topic, but please note I do not use fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), or sertraline (Zoloft) in my frail elder patients.

3 Medical issues must be considered.

Is she uncomfortable due to constipation? Does she have a bladder infection? Is she dizzy when she gets up? Dizziness can be due to several issues but blood pressure should be checked lying, sitting, and standing (if standing is tolerated) and reported to the doc or Nurse Practitioner.

And finally, and yes, fourth-fold, sometimes the family member has to stop pushing. A dignity/control issue may develop with a “Who is the parent?” scenario. I acknowledge this becomes more difficult if your mom will be taking her home.

My thoughts and prayers are with my friend who sent this question, and with each of you reading this blog. Please pass it along if you find it useful, and be sure to comment and send me your questions!

—Coleen