Dangers of Mis-Treatment

Dangers of Mis-Treatment

Dear Sirs,

Two years ago my mother, Florence, was switched from Navane (sp?) without any weaning off period. She immediately suffered a very severe psychotic break. This was done at the hands of Tidelands of Savannah, GA new psychiatrist. I received several calls from the group home she was living. I tried to talk to my mother....... she was not the same.

Subsequently, she was admitted to Charter Hospital. Since I was in living in Kansas at the time, my husband's grandmother, Myrtle Kopp, was watching over her care. Myrtle told us my mother was completely unresponsive. She appeared to be in some sort of a coma and almost completely paralyzed. I called my sister, Rose, in Maryland. She rushed to Georgia and had her admitted to Candler Hospital. Her condition did not improve.

My sister tried numerous techniques to try and reach our mother. To no avail. She called me as she could only stay a week. We met in Georgia, visited my mother. I was appalled at what I saw when I got there. We searched the PDR for drug interactions. She was on Risperdal, 4 high blood meds and glaucoma meds. We read up on Risperdal finding that it was contraindicated for elderly patients. It had another terrifying affect it increases blood pressure.

I was finally able to reach the psychiatrist for Charter. I got him to reduce the Risperdal by half but he refused to take her off of it all together. Well she started to come to.... and even became ambulatory but with great muscle weakness. She required physical therapy.

But then along comes a nurse who said there is no order to change the dosage of Risperdal. And low and behold my mother is comatose and paralyzed once more. This is just 2 short days before I am due to leave Georgia with my mother in tow. I got extremely mad at this point. I called her internist and the psychiatrist. I finally got the medication removed entirely. She was still very weak and barely lucid.

I took her to Kansas and had her admitted to a Geri-Psych unit. They removed the Risperdal entirely and within a week she was up and walking again without assistance. I owe much to the doctors here in Kansas. The doctors said I was correct when I believed it was the medication causing all the disturbing things I saw.

Mother lives in a nursing home now in Eufaula, OK near one of my other sisters. She is doing well. She is currently on Zyprexa. It is controlling her schizophrenia quite well.

I must admit there is something to the diabetes thing because she appeared to have but now there are no signs that she ever had diabetes. Her blood sugars have been fine for the last year.

Thank you for giving me a place to tell our story. If it helps someone else then we will finally have our peace.

Nancy and Andrew Armstrong

Last Updated on 04/08/04 webmaster@namiscc.org

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