I'm truly at my wit's end. My elderly mother (early 80s) has over the last five years or so become increasingly unwell, in the sense that although living independently, she seems to be in constant pain, have issues sleeping (needing to go to the loo a lot, though we've established no issues with bladder, she's just passing a lot of urine at night), and has both diabetes type 2, high BP (although, since losing weight intentionally, this is now down to 135-150 from 180-200) and high cholesterol. She is also coeliac and has osteoporosis.
We keep on going to the doctors but it's as we're going around in circles, we can't quite figure out if it's the meds giving her side effects (in some cases we're sure, e.g. she took a gout medication that causes her severe vomiting) or something else. Bloods and endoscopy taken - not cancer.
She's on an awful lot of meds - e.g. Metformin (she's been on it for years but her sugar levels have recently started to spike at 16, even 12 at fasting but she can't up the dose as she feels nauseous), rosuvastatin, amlodepine (which does seem to make her go wee a lot which means she's constantly exhausted as not sleeping), Risdonernate for the osteo, clopidogrel, losartan. She's also taking omeprazole for her acid. She's got slight anaemia and they are not sure if she has gastritis (gastroscopy referral in process).
She never used to take any painkillers but due to her osteoarthritis, shes taking paracetamol but only ibuprofen sees to make a difference but she has to be careful as she used to be moderate with liver non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, now mild/normal.
My frustration is that I wonder with all of these tablets, and her having lost weight, whether maybe doses are off or there are interaction effects. But of course with the GP, you only get 5 minutes and they want to try something different but not keen to drop any meds due to her previous of having ischaemic changes (TIA?) and previous angina.
Are there any units that would actively look at evaluating the medication and potential interaction effects and adjusting doses when you get older (and, in her case, having lost weight). Or something private?
Her quality of life is non-existent but she would not dream of dropping meds for fear of a stroke and becoming a vegetable.
Help!