scopolamine in palliative care

What is the best way to wean off the scopolamine patch in an elderly person? Can we use the cream instead and slowly increase the time between use?

mom has a 8 cm tumor in her right breast, a smaller 4-5 lump in her left breast. Last November the right breast suddenly opened up-like a staph infection and bled 24 cc of blood and pus for six weeks. It finally stopped. Two days ago, the same place reopened and started to bleed and have pus again, but this time tissue also started coming out. She won't go to a doctor and I'm not sure how much I can handle.

age, we have a need for basic knowledge in how to know when to consider Palliative and/or Hospice Care. Professionals like myself, a Hospice Nurse has the better knowledge as to the hands on assistance that enrollment in a Palliative Care Program or a Hospice Program can give. So I believe that you should add Palliative/Hospice/End of Life Issues to both your questions from the general public and the knowledge areas of your professionals.

I hope that your father-in-law is still with us. Sorry I only saw your posting just now. If the doctors are willing to order PT, have them order it. My 86 year old mother had a major stroke, also had atrial fibrillation. She was given 4 days to live and was barely there. But she kept getting better with PT and lived another 2 years fully cognizant. So for anyone else, get whatever you can for your loved one.

Hello and welcome to the forum. I am so very sorry to read of your situation. Have you spoken to your doctor about any clinical trials that you could participate in? Are they recommending palliative/support care for you? There is also hospice care which can be done in your home. Here's info on palliative care and hospice care https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-are-palliative-care-and-hospice-care. Staying healthy through proper nutrition and rest will also help you overall.

Is there a specialist in your area who is expert in palliative care and symptom management? A specialist of this sort can help guide therapy to maximize quality of life with pain management and other symptom management.

I remember reading that there's a difference between palliative care and hospice. Palliative care offers pain relief and life prolonging care (such as special nutritional needs) even if they can't offer a cure. It can be given at any time during a disease. Hospice care is usually only given if a person has less than 6 months left. I found this portion of a definition comparing the two: Palliative care is NOT the same as hospice care.

I've been diagnosed with labyrinthitis and have been wearing a scopolamine patch for the past 4 weeks. I've heard to cover 1/4, then 1/2, and then 3/4 of the patch to wean off avoid withdrawal. I'm 48 hours into covering 1/4 of the patch and i have a horrible headache, dizzy, and nauseated. Any help, tips, welcome. I just want to be able to go to work and take care of my kids like a normal person again.

They were sisters from different litters, Kessie being the elder. Once diagnosed, all we could offer was palliative care, helping them be as comfortable as possible until they let us know it was time to go.

Today in the New York Times, there's a wonderful article on palliative care." Months to Live: At the End, Offering Not a Cure but Comfort." I wish I had read it before my Mom passed.

I was put on a scopolamine patch in Sept.'10 and have been wearing it fr the last 8 months. It is pute HELL everytime I try to get off of it. The Dr.s have diagnosed me with Meniere's Disease but I can't get off the patch for them to do definitive testing. My Dr. has put me on an oral for of scopolamine but if I am even an hour or two late taking my dose I am deathly ill. And each tinme I get sick it is worse than the time beforel.

You're technically in a short-term 'addictive' phase to scopolamine, which is a belladonna alkaloid drug in use for thousands of years. I've taken it for sailing trips, and occasionally for sleep, but it's not a very 'clean' drug, and the doctor is right-- stop taking it.

Excess salivation is a common problem that sometimes is a pretty stubborn problem, your doctor needs to evaluate the various possible reasons. Hypersalivation, or sialorrhea, is common in pregnancy. If an underlying cause is not found, anticholinergic medication can help, such as atropine, scopolamine, or even benadryl. The blood in your sputum is concerning, this needs to be checked by your doctor since that does not commonly accompany sialorrhea.

(Focus) So, 2 nights after his request, they gave him 1mg of morphine and he has now been in, what seems to be a deep sleep (2 days later). He is now in palliative care in our local hospital and everything is very peaceful. Nurses, spiritual visitors, aids, including the environment. I am very happy so far that this is the path he chose. My question is, on 1mg of morphine every 4-5 hours, and nothing else, how long can we expect?

The National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care states that palliative care is interdisciplinary, with a focus on care of providing optimal functioning, relief of suffering, and support of optimal quality of life for patients and their families regardless of the stage of disease or need for other therapies.

Hi Gina, It is definitely from the scopolamine. I have been on 16 cruises and everytime I have stopped the scopolamine I have the same symptoms of extreme fatigue. The first 24 hours after I stopped the medication there was no problem, but when I awoke the next day I was really out of it. I do not suffere from the nausea or headache that you have encountered. It usually subsides after about 6 weeks.

I am currently using a transdermal scopolamine patch for vertigo. I suffer from profound episodes of vertigo, so the doctor has prescribed me a 1.5 mg transderm patch. I only use it when the vertigo is extremely severe. My problem is this: When I apply the patch, (behind the ear, either right or left) I immmediately experience extreme anisocoria in whichever eye is nearer the patch.

over here we have two similar care options, palliative or hospice, palliative care is intended to relieve discomfort, symptoms, and stress of the patient at any time during the course of the illness, hospice care only becomes available for patients who are considered to be terminal or life expectancy of within six months.

He said the scopolamine affected the focusing mechanism in my eye. My blood vessels and eye nerves looked perfect, he said. He could tell my focus distance was off. My OB/GYN sent me to a neurologist. He couldn't determine what was wrong from the office exam, but ordered a MRI and bloodwork, including thyroid tests. I am totally overwhelmed by the possibility that my vision will never be the same again. I am a 38 yr old healthy working mom.

If it were my mom, I would be agressivelly looking for a doctor - possibly through hospice services - that does palliative care. These doctors specialize in pain management for people with severe medical problems. Working with these doctors or with hospice does not mean you are giving up on your mom, it just means that the medical treatment is not working and it is time to move on and try something more substantial in the pain relief.

It might be arthritis, and it is possible that with a painkiller and gentle palliative care she could go on a while longer yet in relative comfort in her old age. So get her some help.

Depending on his lung cancer stage, someone should make a decision whether he treats issues or moves to palliative care. Palliative care means heading into hospice and starting a morphine drip or other care meant to comfort him. I personally feel that cardiac mets are very painful and a not a good way to die. If the patient is strong enough, there is a procedure called a pericardial window that will drain this fluid into his abdomen and relieve the pressure on the heart.

Has anyone with scopolamine patch withdrawal just tried to go cold turkey and tough it out? IF so, how long did it take you to feel better?

Shes getting over 500+ pills every 10 days and she isnt able to write a script for more than 500 pills due to the DEA issues. However, she said a palliative care nurse would have more power in terms of being able to prescribe whatever my fiancee needs. I guess I'm just trying to understand how this all works and making sure my fiancee is comfortable.

It seems clear that the meclizine taper is the way to go to get off of the transdermal scopolamine patch and I will attempt it. In this scenario, from what I've read, Zofran does not appear to be an essential part of the taper. I have also read elsewhere on the web (not only here) that lamictal together with magnesium sulfate is sometimes used to combat the withdrawal symptoms. I saw one person mentioned lamictal but rejected it as a possible solution. Here is my question.

I'm 6 weeks and currently live with my boyfriend and my mother in law. She's been sick and recently I found out she has a giant sore on her back. She said it's from laying down so much and the doctor said its a strong possibility of it being infected. Maybe even staph infection. I try to refrain from handling her clothing and bedding. Should I try to stay away from her as much as possible?

You might want to focus on her pain. I know that I can't think or eat or make any logical plans if I'm hurting. So pain management seems to be the first order of business. I don't know if you're in the US or not, but I found some interesting information in Consumer Reports -- the September 2009 issue has a lot of basic health information. They are on the internet as a dot org, by the way.

Scopolamine in palliative care

Common Questions and Answers about Scopolamine in palliative care

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