Posted by Sunnely on April 21, 2001, at 21:04:45
In reply to Re: Demerol Interaction, posted by Beverly Adams on April 21, 2001, at 16:24:32
Hi Beverly,
Although your mom's brother (your uncle) has schizophrenia, it is unlikely that your mother is having symptoms of schizophrenia at present, unless she has been diagnosed with one in the past. The onset of schizophrenia generally occurs in early life (late teens to early 20s for males; a bit later age for females).
The concordance rate for the development of schizophrenia among siblings (chance that a sibling will develop schizophrenia if another has schizophrenia) is approximately 9%, unless they are identical twins, in which case it rises to 48%.
I'm wondering why she is taking too many analgesics (pain pills). Both Advil (ibuprofen) and Aleve (Naproxen) belong in the category of NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Tylenol is another pain pill but of different class. I will be concerned about your mom's use of these meds. NSAIDs, especially in the elderly can cause stomach ulcer and bleeding. The elderly are also more sensitive to the central nervous effect of NSAIDs including confusion and hallucinations. Further, she is taking Depakote which has anti-platelet effect leading to increased risk of bleeding. The combination NSAIDs and Depakote makes her more vulnerable to bleeding. I believe there was also a study indicating that Tylenol can also increase the chance of bleeding. Finally, Tylenol and Depakote both can induce liver damage. With your mom's age, her liver (and kidney) function is probably already impaired (because of aging process). I think you should run by her doctor all these meds that she is taking.
If not done yet, I still say that your mom should undergo CT or MRI and EEG (and other tests such as a comprehensive metabolic panel). If your mom starts showing spontaneous bruising or any form of bleeding, you should notify her doctor immediately. This can lead to a potentially serious medical event such as stroke.
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> Sunnely,
>
> Thanks for the tip. I'll look into it.
>
> My Mom is 67 and has a brother who is paranoid schezo ( sorry, I don't know how to spell it ).
>
> She is also taking Depakote twice a day among her many other medications. She takes Aleve, Advil, and Tylenol for her OTC.
>
> Thanks again.
poster:Sunnely
thread:60539
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010417/msgs/60721.html