MIL taking medication when she doesn't need it

How many years has she been taking (or not taking!) the laxatives?

Would it be nosy to ask how old she is paddyann?

I think her GP needs a bit of a shake-up - I thought they were very keen on not over-prescribing these days.

Paracetamol is an excellent painkiller amongst other things, when taken as prescribed.
Sorry to criticise you Stella 1949, but they are definitely NOT harmless.
Having seen a terrified Teenager, (with her distraught Mother ) 'Blue Lighted' in the middle of the night to a specialist Hospital, I can speak from experience.
This young lady thought that Paracetamol was like taking sweets, harmless.
She was admitted to hospital a few hours later with Liver failure.
She deteriorated quickly and that's when she was 'blue lighted' to a specialist hospital.
This Lass survived, but her liver had suffered long term problems. I often wonder about her .......

It is easy enough to ask the chemist not to request any more laxatives from the surgery for the time being or tell the surgery until stocks are used up.

Lots of Doctors still prescribe meds that are available over the counter, mine still prescribes Aspirin which I take along with Warfarin I've told him not to bother but he still does it, so I simply cross it off the form. I buy them for about 20p so it's daft but I need to take them so he thinks he should prescribe them. Trouble is if the prescription goes straight to the chemist from the surgery along with my Morphine etc. I can't cross it off.

I think it would be a good idea to get your MIL to a GP for a check-up and review.

The paracetamol may actually not be the cause of her tiredness and don't normally cause brain fog like opiate painkillers. However -
- the long term laxative use coupled with poor eating habits might mean she is not absorbing enough nutrition from her food
- if she is not getting out much she may have low vitamin D (I recently discovered that I was deficient)
- she may have anemia given her poor eating habits

Once you've told her of your concerns and the reasons for them, there is nothing more that you can do, unless you think she has symptoms of dementia or a similar condition. Repetition of your warnings will only annoy her and possibly damage your relationship.

I worked in a surgery for ten years. One of the older GPs would prescribe all sorts of frowned upon items. Unlimited steroid inhalers, antibiotics for the slightest sniffle etc etc. As far as he was concerned what he had learned in his training in the 50s was the be all and end all. He was a much loved and venerated GP - until the s**t hit the fan as it did more and more often!

I would speak to the practice manager or another gp as he is unlikely to admit he is in the wrong and positively endangering your mil’s health.

The medication and dosage is in accordance with NICE guidelines.

1.5.1
Healthcare professionals should consider offering paracetamol for pain relief in addition to core treatments (see recommendation 1.2.5); regular dosing may be required. Paracetamol and/or topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should be considered ahead of oral NSAIDs, cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitors or opioids.
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg177/chapter/1-recommendations#pharmacological-management

Your MIL needs to have medicines review as soon as possible because long term use of painkillers can lead to imapired kidney function, gastrointestinal bleeds and liver damage. I'm sorry to give your this information and cause you to worry but it can be detrimental to her health in the long run and she has been on maximum dosage paracetamol every day for ten years and that is a long time. You have every right to be concerned for her.

Although this is within the guidelines, yes, she does require a review and regular blood tests to test kidney and liver function (which I posted above).

Just thought, you could ask your pharmacist a general question about how to use paracetamol without treading on anybody's toes. At least you'd have a definitive answer to work with after that and the pharmacist might be able to advise you how to proceed if he or she it is a matter of concern.

My Dm was tired and lacking in appetite,and this was due to deficiency in vitamin B12. An injection every 3 months sorted it.

The number of people taking numerous medicines at relatively youngish ages astounds me, as do the numbers with long term pain issues.
Have tolerance levels fallen or do doctors prescribe with gay abandon?

tried that GillT57 told her to ask for a blood test to see if she was vitamin deficient as she's not eating properly.She SAID she asked and they told her she's been checked a couple of years ago for B12???So they didn't need another test .I know it seems as if I'm interfering but I just worry about her she has really slowed down over the past few months and her concentration levels are very poor.

She forgets words and ends up in tears and she's bad on her feet.She 84 ,I know some of this is "normal" but surely not in such a short space of time .I would have her to live with us but my OH cant cope with seeing her like this and he gets stressed around her.HE has heart issues so I cant leave it to him and my SIL would go mad if I moved her mum here ,she doesn't want her to move to sheltered housing half a mile up the road from her never mind 45 miles away.I looked after my own mum for 12 years and I know what I'd be taking on and I'm willing to do it, shame nobody will back me up.

How about hiring a 'companion' for her?
Just for an hour or two a day?

She SAID she asked and they told her she's been checked a couple of years ago for B12???So they didn't need another test

paddyann I don't know if you would be able to phone her surgery, speak to the practice manager or a doctor, express your concerns, and ask them to send an appointment for a 'check-up' and let you know as you would 'need to take her'. They won't discuss her with you, of course, but you could say that you wonder if she needs a blood test and a review - do they run a 'Well Person Clinic?'.

I know how difficult it is, my MIL would never do anyone we suggested and would just say "You don't seem to understand, dear, I've always done that/never done that" etc.
We decided that we could never persuade her and ultimately, she was perfectly capable of making her own mind up.

never do anyone never do anything

1974cookie - Too right. The teenager I knew went in after a paracetamol od and a day or two later was happily sitting up in bed enjoying all the attention. The boyfriend who had left her was back and she was so pleased with herself.
In the corridor a doctor was spelling out to her shocked parents that for the next few days she could still die if her liver didn't recover.

I looked after my own mum for 12 years and I know what I'd be taking on and I'm willing to do it, shame nobody will back me up.
That's a real pity paddyann. My MIL stopped eating properly but when she did come to stay here for a few weeks at a time she ate reasonable amounts of good food and gained weight.

The number of people taking numerous medicines at relatively youngish ages astounds me, as do the numbers with long term pain issues.

Laudanum (tincture of opium) was popular before modern painkillers.

What are these numbers that astound you, gabriella? Could you point us to the source of your information, please?

I think it is well known that people's pain tolerance levels vary. Some people have a high pain threshold, some people a low one. This should not be held against them.

Doctors' "gay abandon" that you refer to might simply be that doctors understand better than most what effects severe or chronic pain can have on people.

Every patient on repeat prescriptions needs frequent reviews and checks that the meds are needed. Why not ask her to consult with her pharmacist NB the pharmacist not the counter assistant.

I would send a letter to her GP and hopefully he will call her in for review. Then I would try not to worry Paddyann You can only do so much. That's my advice.

A GP would never discuss her private medical info with you and nor should he. He wouldn't have them on repeat unless she needed them and I think you are opening up a huge can of worms if you interfere in her private business. 8 a day maximum is the correct amount to take if needed and will not hurt her. Trust that she knows her own business and that her GP knows his.

Baggs there is plenty of evidence to support what GabriellaG says about use of drugs including oversubscribing by NHS. You just need to Google it.