Medication
In
general, the fewer drugs someone with dementia has to take, the better - both
for their dementia and their general health. This includes prescription and
over-the-counter drugs. If you are supporting someone with dementia, you may
find the following tips useful.
As soon
as possible after diagnosis, check with the GP to make sure that the person is
not taking any drugs that they don't need any more, and that they are taking
the lowest possible effective dose of those they do.
If any
drugs are used to relieve behavioural symptoms, make sure these are reviewed
very regularly.
If you
suspect that the person's medication may be increasing their confusion or
causing other unwanted side-effects, tell the GP.
Help the
person take their medication at the right time by using box compartments or
individual tablets marked with days or times. For more severe memory problems,
you may need to make sure that the person doesn't overlook a dose or take an
extra dose by mistake.
You might
even need to place medicines out of reach and out of sight as an extra
precaution.
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