Side Effects?

[prendi]

My 88yr old aunt has been prescribed Bisoprolol,Digoxin and Apixaban tabets for heart failure.She has been taking them for 4/5weeks and has started having terrible hallucinations.There are cats all over her house ans people with no faces.She is absolutely terrified as she lives on her own.the docs don't seem to believe us when we say it is the tablets that is causing them,but she was fine before she started on the tabs.has anyone ever had these hallucinations on these meds?she is in hospital at the moment and im afraid they may take her to the phsych ward,thanks.

[tamborine]

Take photos of any neglect & photo all line drips etc. That might get your dear aunt better care. You could complain to the ward sister. Hope your aunt improves soon x

[prendi]

thanks Anne we will certainly be having a word tomorrow if things have not improved any.

[prendi]

thank you Tambourine x

[anneasquith]

good idea tambo, I would also if necessary keep dates and notes, ( isn't it awful this is the stage we have in the NHS now ) :(

[tamborine]

And photo the medical charts & notes. I stole my OHs notes & was shocked at them. His doc phoned apologies but thats no good when bereaved.

[prendi]

thanks again guys,an update:we got a fone call at 12.30 am to say my aunt had a stroke,we went rushing down and her mouth had drooped.we stayed with her til 4am and they transferred stroke unit.we went to see her today and bingo! she is back with us,no cats or hallucinations! we kept saying that she should be on a drip and oxygen.that must have done the trick.then a new doc came and told us it was a heart attack?? no pain or symptoms,and that if she should have another one they will not resuscitate her as they may break her ribs!!cant understand how they could have got it so wrong,its very upsetting for all of us.

[anneasquith]

is your aunt now receiving fluids. stroke/heart attack?is she aware of who her visitors are now ?

[prendi]

hi yes she was on a drip and it seems to have worked like magic,i kept asking them to put her on a drip and oxygen but no one would take me on!!she is very aware of her surroundings and us now tg,today they have moved her to a different ward,(4th move) grrrr,and they told us that in the notes they have it says ANGINA!!!! nobody seems to know anything definite,and she HAS got a water infection too,for the 3rd bloody time!it is a complete circus in there,her name over the bed was Jean and she is called Joan! don't worry notes are being taken.

[anneasquith]

reading between the lines, aunt appears to have been dehydrated and has a UTI, 4th ward change, heart attack/stroke.............now angina. please ask for an appointment with a doctor im pleased she appears better though,

[kvalidir]

Complain. Do it now and do it loudly so that they know you are ' trouble' so to speak and won't risk shoddy care of your aunt. This is truly terrible, but so glad that she seems to be better than she has been.

[anneasquith]

does aunt have an ID bracelet on, check the details are accurate.

[Sparkles62]

prendi, we had exactly the same problem when MIL was in hospital,she had terrible hallucinations, we all had babies on our shoulders, she kept complaining because everyone else in the ward had a dog on the end of their beds and she wanted one, and many more wierd things,
it turned out that she was dehydrated and had a water infection,
It was very scary and upsetting for us, but she didn't remember any of it when she was better. X

[tamborine]

Makes you wonder whether medics are using elderly patients as guinea pigs. If you werent alert prendi, your dear aunt would be a gonna. Shout at the medics on our behalf coz if the worst happens youre gonna name the hospital so we can nag them x