Drugs & Medications Questions

1. FAQ: Can Delirium Symptoms Be Treated With Medications?

   Yes, delirium symptoms can sometimes (but not always) be treated with medications. For such symptoms of delirium as extra confusion, agitation, or aggression, low doses of antipsychotics may be prescribed. These drugs, such as haloperidol (Haldol), risperidone (Risperdal), and quetiapine (Seroquel),...
   FAQ 1 Expert Answer, 4 Community Answers

2. Can you treat depression without medication?

   Yes, it's possible to treat depression without medication. Intensive talk-based therapy (psychotherapy or counseling) alone can help some individuals. Many professionals, including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and other counselors, provide this kind of therapy...
   FAQ 1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

3. Can I Become Addicted to My Prescribed Opioid Pain Relievers?

   If your doctor prescribed you an opioid pain reliever for pain, it's unlikely you need to worry unless you have a history of addiction issues. It's extremely rare for people who don't already have substance-abuse issues to become addicted to pain medication.
   FAQ 1 Expert Answer, 4 Community Answers

4. FAQs: Can Dementia Medicines Raise the Risk of Falling?

   In a way, yes. The drugs that are FDA-approved for the treatment of dementia (donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine, and memantine) are not thought to significantly increase the chance of a fall. However, dizziness has been reported as a side effect of these medications in a minority (about 8 percent) of users...
   FAQ 1 Expert Answer

5. FAQ: Can Depression Be Treated Without Medication?

   Yes, with mild and moderate depression, studies show that talk therapy alone, if done properly, is probably equivalent to the successes of antidepressants, and maybe even better. However, with severe depression, because of the risks involved, there's better success with antidepressant medication, ideally in combination with talk therapy...
   FAQ 1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

6. My mother is 86 years old, and in very poor health. She has...

   First of all, have you talked to her doctors about your mother's increased confusion? Unfortunately, it's not possible from this vantage point to pin down the source of her confusion. Her general poor health, her congestive heart failure, and her multiple medications may all be implicated, but be sure...
   1 Expert Answer

7. Are there any effective medications to assist with combative...

   Yes, there are some medications that are sometimes used to treat behavioral symptoms associated with Alzheimer's. These include antidepressants and antipsychotics. Because they can have serious side effects, they're considered a last resort. Their  use also needs to be monitored careful...
   1 Expert Answer

8. Can we donate brain tissue?

   Hi. Best for you to contact your local medical center and they will help you be specific about organ or tissue donation. All the best,Dan Tobin
   1 Expert Answer

9. How many medications are too many?

   It's impossible to say whether ten pills daily is too many, just right, or even too few, without knowing all the specifics relating to your mother's health. But you're right to be concerned about it, since -- given the reality of today's overloaded practice environments -- it's easy for prescriptions to add up without close scrutiny...
   1 Expert Answer

10. Do Chantix side effects include body fluid odor or bad breath?

    Chantix can cause mouth dryness, which can definitely contribute to bad breath. This side effect can be made better by chewing gum or sucking on sugarless candies. Regarding the change in your body fluid odor, it makes sense that since the medication is drying, that your body fluids would become more concentrated, therefore changing their odor...
    1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

11. What is an i-pill drug?

    There are actually 2 things known as the "i-pill" drug. First, there is a emergency contraceptive pill sold in drug stores in India called the i-pill, but it is not available in the US. However, the i-pill I think you are referring to is made by a company called Philips, and currently it contains no drugs...
    1 Expert Answer

12. How can I predict behavior changes in my father, who has hepatitis?

    Reading your question, you do not say if your father has dementia or other serious medical problems, other than his hepatitis. If he is already sick or has dementia, and his behaviors are getting worse over time, it may just be due to his health failing or an increase in his dementia.
    1 Expert Answer

13. Is Prednisone normally prescribed to boost appetite?

    Prednisone boost appetite: Prednisone can be used to boost appetite. Usually it is used as a short-term appetite stimulant (due to the potential side effects). Your husband's likelihood of experiencing certain side effects will depend on his dose and length of time he is taking prednisone...
    1 Expert Answer

14. Can sertaline cause dizziness and can you wean from it without withdrawal symptoms?

    Dear anonymous-
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15. Can the nursing home force my mom to take coumadin?

    Your question is complex, so I'm going to break it into parts. You ask if the nursing home can force a patient (your mom) to take medication.
    1 Expert Answer

16. Why does being taking off Coumadin for days not have any adverse side effects?

    Coumadin is a blood thinner that is used to prevent blood clots from forming in the body. It is used with diseases like atrial fibrillation, pulmonary emboli (PE), and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Although it is a good medication, coumadin is notoriously difficult to use, as it must be dosed using blood tests...
    1 Expert Answer

17. My husband's symptoms seem to have improved, does he really have Alzheimer's?

    It is possible that your husband has a variation of Alzheimer's (for instance, Lewy Body disease) that may progress at a different pace. It is always helpful to get a full neuro-psychiatric evaluation to understand the diagnosis and the progression. Multi-infarct dementia will progress differently than Alzheimer's as will Frontal Lobe dementia...
    1 Expert Answer, 2 Community Answers

18. If Alzheimer's medications slow the progression of Alzheimer's for 6-12 months in 50% of patients, what happens in the other 50%?

    Now that's a really logical question! In the other 50% there is generally no change noted in cognitive, physical or behavioral function. This may mean the diagnosis is a related disease and not 'true' Alzheimer's disease(AD) or, that the change is too insignificant to be measurable...
    1 Expert Answer

19. Does taking Risperdal harm your teeth?

    I have looked in several drug information resource and performed a literature search. To date, I see no evidence linking risperdal to teeth discoloration. Are you or your family member taking a tablet or liquid formulation?
    1 Expert Answer

20. Why can't my mom use medications while her bedsores heal?

    Bedsores (also called pressure ulcers) can be a serious and even life-threatening situation. There are numerous different medications and therapies such as vitamins, wound-healing agents, and antibiotics that can play an important role in the treatment of bed sores...
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