Question Drugging inmates at care homes?

[rynnor]

Mate at work has a brother who is mentally handicapped - he's pretty high function just a bit lacking socially (nowadays he would have been mixed into a normal school but back then he was sent to 'special school' and then into care homes).

My mate noticed that he seemed a bit out of it recently and asked him what medication he was on - turned out he's been put on an anti psychotic which is generally used after someone has been sectioned (presumably to keep him and the other inmates quiet).

His brother aside from his handicap has no mental health issues so this is clearly not in his interest (and the side effects of these sorts of anti psychotic drug are not very good for you) - any ideas how the brother should pursue this?

 

[Scouse]

any ideas how the brother should pursue this?

If he's being medicated then the first thing would be to talk to the doctor and ask why tbfh. It's what I'd do anyway...

 

[rynnor]

Yeah - its complicated by the fact that my mate lives in London and his brothers in care in Yorkshire but he intends to go and ask them directly.

Got more information today - he's been put on Risperidone - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risperidone

From that wiki there's this under 'Lawsuits' - "In 2013, Johnson and Johnson settled out of court for a fine of $2.2 billion in response to allegations that they used illegal marketing techniques to encourage deliberate overmedication of children, elderly and mentally disabled."

He also said he noticed his brother has developed uncontrollable shaking in his hands like a parkinson's sufferer - it's one of the side effects of this drug.

 

[Athan]

My sympathies for the medicated brother. The one anti-psychotic I was on nearly turned me into a zombie. Sure I had lower anxiety/panic, but only because I then felt so sleepy I couldn't do much of anything, not even "read shit on the internet", due to being unable to concentrate!

The whole experience made me wonder if anti-psychotics only 'work' in some cases because what they actually do is sedate.

 

[rynnor]

My sympathies for the medicated brother. The one anti-psychotic I was on nearly turned me into a zombie. Sure I had lower anxiety/panic, but only because I then felt so sleepy I couldn't do much of anything, not even "read shit on the internet", due to being unable to concentrate!

The whole experience made me wonder if anti-psychotics only 'work' in some cases because what they actually do is sedate.

Morphine might have less side effects but they would be worried about the staff nicking it all.

The problem is these drugs may have a place in the short term treatment of schizophrenic patients but if you use it on the mentally handicapped it's basically an open ended prescription and these are nasty drugs with a hell of a lot of side effects.

 

[Nate]

Any idea what his actual diagnosis is?

 

[rynnor]

Any idea what his actual diagnosis is?

Not until he see's his brothers doctor - we suspect its being used just to make the carers lives easier.

 

[Nate]

Not until he see's his brothers doctor - we suspect its being used just to make the carers lives easier.

He'd have to talk to the psychiatrist, a GP doesn't prescribe psych meds.

 

[Athan]

In that situation it might be the psychiatrist directly prescribing, but in my out-patient experience the psychiatrist merely suggests medication to the GP and they then prescribe it. Given that anecdote it's not impossible that rynnor's mate's brother's GP is the one doing the deciding and prescribing.