Question: My Mom was Pink Slipped on Christmas Eve. My previous question about the Xanax created the situation. She was addimited into the hospital for low sodium. She has depression and anxiety issues that her primary care physician had not properly treated. He had her on 4 anti-depressants and two anxiety medications at one time.
She was admitted into the hospital in XXXXXXX for high blood pressure and at that time the doctors realized that she was severly over medicated. They took her off all antidepressants cold turkey at 90! They did not wean her off. She was left on Kolopin and Zanax at the same time. She immediately upon being released from the hospital began have dry heaving and constant nausea. I started reading side effects of the remaining medications she was own. My step-dad read the Kolopin side effects and he weaned her off with the doctors knowledge and I know that was done to quickly because of the years she had been on this also. The Xanax doze was prescribed 5 times a day, I know that was also not appropriate.

When she was in the hospital for low sodium the physciatrist tested her memory by having her say the months of the year from October backwards. She was unable, low sodium was back to normal. I am her POA, I was not informed at all. She was extremely frightened and it ended up being a horrible thing. We had asked for the physciatrist to do an outpatient plan for my Mom when she was in the hospital one month prior for low sodium. We did not realize at that time this Geratric Physciatrist had not done is. He was the same doctor that Pink Slipped her. I was able to get my Mom out of that ward on Dec. 25th because of many hospital protocols being broken.

We are currently trying to get my Mom into a geratric physciatrist, my step-dad did her assesment on the phone for her. I did not feel he should have been allowed to do that. The physciatrist will than review and decide if he will see her as a new patient or not.

She had told the doctor in the hospital that the Xanax wasn't helping and she was trying to cut herself back from 5 a day and was already having problems. The doctor that took her off .50 Xanaz wrote for the valium. I have read a lot about this now.
She was put on a 7 day quick decreasing dose of valium in place of Xanax.

Now we have additional problems. We know she was once again not weaned off properly. The physciatrist told the to prescribe anything for my Mom. We had a prescription filled right before she was put into the hospital of Xanax.

We need help. The Physciatrist that we are waiting to see if he will be taking my Mom on as a patient has not gotten back to them yet.

What should an appropriate weaning schedule for a 90 year old woman after being on this for so many years. I know that 7 days on valium was not the proper way from everything I have read.

These a XXXXXXX Clinic physicians. This has been a horrible experience for my family. My Mom has been ill and in withdrawal for weeks and weeks. Is there any type of appropriate weaning schedule we can find on the interenet or somewhere. These XXXXXXX Clinic doctors made this mess. Now we are watching our Mother suffer through this horrible withdrawal with the least amount of discomfort as possible.

Thank you so much for your response. The Geriatric Psychiatrist that we had requested for her to be seen by responded today. She does have an appointment on XXXXXXX 25th, and is on the cancellation list to try to get her seen faster.

This has been an horrible experience. Adult children need to make sure they know what is going on with their parents. My parents are one minute away from me. I pop in and out all of the time. It wasn't until my own daughter got me a smart phone, I began asking Google Search what the prescriptions she was on were for. I was totally unaware until that point. My Mom suffering with the medications being stopped without weaning is just unacceptable to me. I have been researching every medication, every condition she has been diagnosed with ever since she was first hospitalized.

I know the serious effect of this all. I was aware of the abrupt way she was taken off of the antidepressants because I have been seeing a mental health therapist and psychiatrist myself for several years for depression and anxiety.
I do know it has not been done correctly. I have reached out to state agencies in regards to elder care and their rights. I am so sad that I was not aware before that this was happening.

Thank you for your response.

Respectfully,

Mrs. XXXXXXX Hockenberrty