Submissions from site visitors

This letter was received by email in March 2005.

I just came across your site and after reading the other stories posted I thought you might find some interest in posting my Mother's.

My Mom passed away in October 2004, just one month after her 54th birthday. She had been on a regimen of multiple prescriptions for about twenty years, having been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, epstein bar virus, bipolar disorder, firbromyalgia, allergies, osteoporosis, emphysema, asthma, chronic bronchitis, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, insomnia, chronic diarrhea, and MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) to name a few.

She was diagnosed with MRSA in September or October 2003 after a knee replacement surgery. She had several "skin rash" break outs through out the year before her death. About two months before she died my sisters and I began noticing that she seemed much more confused, anxious and nervous than usual and she began forgetting entire days and conversations, we mentioned it to her and she did speak to her psychiatrist and doctors about it. They all blamed it on her Ambien, which she took as a sleep aide, and the pain medications which cause drowsiness. She also exhibited the "tremors" for almost 12 months before she died. I think three of her doctors (6 total) actually noted her symptoms in her file and suspected polypharmacy, but stated action taken, NONE. Two weeks before her death, she had a colonoscopy performed for chronic diarrhea resulting in another prescription.

She began going to a pain management specialist in June 2004, after being referred by a neurosurgeon for herniated cervical discs. The pain management doctor continued or started her on Darvocet and a nerve blocker for pain, then in August 2004 added Methadone to her regimen having her continue the Darvocet for "break through pain". In late September 2004 the doctor stopped giving her Methadone because of her memory loss, fatigue, and anxiety (which we now know was caused by polypharmacy) and started her on 15mg Morphine 2-3 times a day, continuing with the Darvocet for "break through pain". On the same date that the doctor started Mom on Morphine the doctor noted in the file that she suspected polypharmacy was causing her memory loss. About two weeks later, just three days before her death, the doctor increased the Morphine to 30mg, 3 times per day. My mother had several chronic disorders but nothing terminal. At the time my Mother died she was on 16 different prescriptions and taking no over the counter drugs.

My Mother was a wonderful woman that lived her life for her four daughters and five grandchildren. We have talked to several lawyers about filing a case against her doctors, the ones that have responded have indicated that the case would cost them too much money to prosecute and they can't make enough off of it, but they believe we have a claim and that her doctors made mistakes. My sisters and I had never heard of polypharmacy until we read our Mother's autopsy report and I wanted to post this story to help make people aware of the consequences of prescription drugs that my Mother's doctors did not tell her.

Thank you for your time. ~KM~

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