My dad is 64 years old and has severe constipation, anxiety, numbness in his arms but only during sleep, buzzing in ears, insomnia, doesn't talk much to us and always mumbling. He did MRI two months ago and it showed involutional changes, empty sella, early small artery disease. the above symptoms started when he saw a doc and gave him two meds for the anxiety but after taking only two pills he got worse, so please explain whats wrong and can pills worsen do that and should we take him to a mental hospital?
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Is this a mental condition??
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Featured Answer
2 UpVoted this answer
As a Psychiatrist who works as a consulting basis for a hospital, this is right up my alley. I would be concerned about the following:
1. Brain Aneurysm or Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) - essentially a tangle of abnormal blood vessels connecting arteries and veins in the brain) - He may have a kink in a blood vessel that doesn't allow the blood to flow as well as it should. - I would recommend that he get a Magnetic Resonance Angiography as soon as possible. In order to get this done quickly, he may need to be taken to an Emergency Room at a hospital that ideally would have the capacity to do an MRA. I've included a link to a wikipedia - This would explain most of his symptoms. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arteriovenous_malformation. .
2. Stroke - The Zeldox is an antipsychotic medication and there are reports of antipsychotic medications increasing risk of stroke in older individuals. This does not mean he should be taken him off the Zeldox, but it does increase his risk.
3. The pills for anxiety may have made him worse by reducing his blood flow to his brain further. I would recommend calling his doctor that prescribed them to ask about taking him off the anxiety meds.
4. The empty sella may be an incidental finding but it can also be a sign of the increased cerebral hypertension that would be consistent with an arteriovenous malformation. A link - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empty_sella_syndrome
I would not take him to a mental hospital until he has had an MRA done as I would fear that his symptoms would be possibly overlooked as primarily a psychiatric issue and his medical symptoms may not get their full attention. The rule in psychiatry is that medical causes of symptoms should be evaluated first before assuming it's psychiatric in nature.
I hope this is helpful and I'd be interested in knowing how things have gone.
You can contact me on my HealthTap account as well as DoctorBase. www.healthtap.com/drbrianwise
1. Brain Aneurysm or Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) - essentially a tangle of abnormal blood vessels connecting arteries and veins in the brain) - He may have a kink in a blood vessel that doesn't allow the blood to flow as well as it should. - I would recommend that he get a Magnetic Resonance Angiography as soon as possible. In order to get this done quickly, he may need to be taken to an Emergency Room at a hospital that ideally would have the capacity to do an MRA. I've included a link to a wikipedia - This would explain most of his symptoms. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arteriovenous_malformation. .
2. Stroke - The Zeldox is an antipsychotic medication and there are reports of antipsychotic medications increasing risk of stroke in older individuals. This does not mean he should be taken him off the Zeldox, but it does increase his risk.
3. The pills for anxiety may have made him worse by reducing his blood flow to his brain further. I would recommend calling his doctor that prescribed them to ask about taking him off the anxiety meds.
4. The empty sella may be an incidental finding but it can also be a sign of the increased cerebral hypertension that would be consistent with an arteriovenous malformation. A link - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empty_sella_syndrome
I would not take him to a mental hospital until he has had an MRA done as I would fear that his symptoms would be possibly overlooked as primarily a psychiatric issue and his medical symptoms may not get their full attention. The rule in psychiatry is that medical causes of symptoms should be evaluated first before assuming it's psychiatric in nature.
I hope this is helpful and I'd be interested in knowing how things have gone.
You can contact me on my HealthTap account as well as DoctorBase. www.healthtap.com/drbrianwise
1 UpVoted this answer
Hi, my suggestion is that you take your father back to the doctor who prescribed the anxiety medication and discuss your concerns there. The reason being, you are wondering about the impact of the medication which is a question best for a medical doctor to answer and then consider with the doctor the next steps. Warm regards, Jennifer
1 UpVoted this answer
I concur with the previous answer. Medical causes need to be ruled out first, before assuming a mental hospital is needed. A consult with the prescribing MD is in order, as well as Dad's primary Dr, who may think a consul with a neurologist is in order.
1 UpVoted this answer
This is beyond my scope of practice as an orthopedic specialist however if these symptoms began as a direct result of the new medication, then I would call the doctor that prescribed them and discuss. Medications have various adverse affects and perhaps the combination was not optimal. Not sure what his mental status was prior to taking these meds but a "mental hospital" is not the answer if the medication caused it. Not sure what specialty type "doc" you saw but a neurologist or neuropsych specialty seems like a good place to start.
I am not an M.D., but I have had clients with small vessel disease. They have many of the symptoms you describe. He needs more blood flow to the brain. Some anxiety meds reduce the blood flow. I recommend you find a neurologist who works with older folks. It will also be helpful to get a short psychological evaluation to measure his memory and other processing. In this process, also look for a Psychologist who does "brain maps, or qEEG. This will measure the brains activity compared to a normative database matching his brain's performance to other people his age. You are doing a good thing in being aware and caring about what is going on with your Dad.
Our first recommendation is a complete physical workup to determine if there are physical reasons for the symptoms you are describing.
Next seek the counsel of a mental health practitioner trained in family systems, psychotherapy, and substance abuse issues. Take a complete list of all medications, drugs, herbs, over the counter medications, alcohol, marijuana, and/or street drugs to the appointment. Once a thorough intake has been done, the information can be used to determine the next step in the recommended treatment. Hope this is helpful. the JOURNEY pathways to healing
Next seek the counsel of a mental health practitioner trained in family systems, psychotherapy, and substance abuse issues. Take a complete list of all medications, drugs, herbs, over the counter medications, alcohol, marijuana, and/or street drugs to the appointment. Once a thorough intake has been done, the information can be used to determine the next step in the recommended treatment. Hope this is helpful. the JOURNEY pathways to healing
Our first recommendation would be a complete physical to address high blood pressure, numbness in toes and arms, constipation, ear buzzing, and insomnia.
Next we recommend a general practitioner of mental health that is also trained in substance abuse issues, family systems, and psychotherapy. The causes of the anxiety, insomnia, buzzing in the ears are numerous and the physical causes must be ruled out in the initial stages. Next it is necessary to asses the symptoms based on all the medications your dad is currently taking including over the counter medications, vitamins, minerals, alcohol, marijuana, etc. The next step would be to combine the information on all the beginning stages with a complete intake sheet to determine the next step.
Next we recommend a general practitioner of mental health that is also trained in substance abuse issues, family systems, and psychotherapy. The causes of the anxiety, insomnia, buzzing in the ears are numerous and the physical causes must be ruled out in the initial stages. Next it is necessary to asses the symptoms based on all the medications your dad is currently taking including over the counter medications, vitamins, minerals, alcohol, marijuana, etc. The next step would be to combine the information on all the beginning stages with a complete intake sheet to determine the next step.
Definately do not take him to a mental hospital. They will most likely put him on mind altering addictive medication regardless of the diagnosis. (Look into the Citizens Commission on Human Rights cchr.com)
Instead take him to a Functional Medicine Doctor (http://orangeparkchiropractor.com/functional-medicine/)
www.discoverhealth.us
Instead take him to a Functional Medicine Doctor (http://orangeparkchiropractor.com/functional-medicine/)
www.discoverhealth.us
On the one hand, his symptoms could be due to a medical condition and he needs both a neurological and an internal medical evaluation. On the other hand, insomnia and anxiety are symptoms that deserve evaluation and treatment by a mental health professional. The tinnitus may be related to his hypertension, the paresthesias are probably related to degenerative arthritis in the cervical and LS spine unless they first appeared after he started taking medication that can cause that side effect. Constipation can be related to anxiety. If the lack of communication and/or mumbling are recent, they may reflect either neurological or psychiatric illness, or a combination of both.
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