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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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How Can severe Dementia Be Treated?

Hi...my Mom is 90 years of age. She is at a Nursing home. She entered that facility on Jan 4, 2016. Since then she has been diagnosed with dementia. Recently she fell and fractured a bone in her hip. They put her on Oxycodon but that made her sick. Now they have her on Tramadol. Not sure of the dosage. My question is this...Isn t Tramadol a drug that exacerbates dementia and should she be on some other pain med for her fracture?
Fri, 28 Apr 2017
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hello my name is Dr.Dorina Gurabardhi. I understand your concerns.
As with many medications, Tramadol side effects may be magnified when the medicine is used in elderly patients. Of these tramadol side effects, mental confusion is often the most apparent. Elderly patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease may exhibit increased symptoms of confusion or agitation while taking tramadol.
Instead you can combine tramadol with ibuprofen.
In general, the combination Tramadol and Ibuprofen is a safe one.
These drugs together potentiate each other’s pain-relieving effect without any significant side effects.
When taken together, a lower dosage of Tramadol may be needed. The maximum dosage per day for Ibuprofen is 600 mg but when combined with Tramadol, a lower dosage is also recommended.
Hope my answer was helpful, thanks!
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How Can severe Dementia Be Treated?

Hello my name is Dr.Dorina Gurabardhi. I understand your concerns. As with many medications, Tramadol side effects may be magnified when the medicine is used in elderly patients. Of these tramadol side effects, mental confusion is often the most apparent. Elderly patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease may exhibit increased symptoms of confusion or agitation while taking tramadol. Instead you can combine tramadol with ibuprofen. In general, the combination Tramadol and Ibuprofen is a safe one. These drugs together potentiate each other’s pain-relieving effect without any significant side effects. When taken together, a lower dosage of Tramadol may be needed. The maximum dosage per day for Ibuprofen is 600 mg but when combined with Tramadol, a lower dosage is also recommended. Hope my answer was helpful, thanks!