Medication and Opinions

I mentioned a few days ago a medication, Seroquel, that Mom has been taking for a little over a year now. Just as with turmeric, I began to read about it because of someone else’s suggestion. A friend discontinued her mother’s prescription because she read quite a few negative articles on the internet about the increased risk for mortality associated with the off-label use of quetiapine fumarate (Seroquel) for dementia-related psychosis in elderly patients.

From what I understood, the reason Dr. Tee prescribed the medication for Mom was precisely this, dementia-related psychosis. So, after reading many articles all of which confirmed what the others were saying, I quickly went about trying to alert Pop and the sisters to get Mom off this stuff. In the middle of the week during which I was stirring everyone up, I went to an annual appointment myself. My ob/gyn has an undergraduate degree in chemistry. So I brought up this subject to him, relating to him the content of the frightening articles I had read.

His advice? First of all, calm down. Then, if someone is under the care of a neuropsychiatrist, he/she is going to be all right. This kind of doctor is familiar with the exact dosages required for his/her patients, whatever their condition may be. The problem arises when poorly informed people distribute inaccurate amounts to various patients in nursing homes. Because the caregivers are trying to calm someone or even sedate him or her, they use this drug unwisely.

His conclusion is that when properly used by a competent and qualified person, there is nothing to worry about. My conclusion is, if Mom were in an ordinary nursing home (not specifically for Alzheimer’s patients), I would be very concerned. Since she is not in a home(she's at home), I am going with my doctor’s assurance that she is not in any danger from using the professionally prescribed amount at this point.