Pharmacological Education at Home

Hi this is Breehan! Because my mom just had a knee replacement, I talked to her about her different medications. She is on Percocet and Tramadol. I was surprised that her doctor did not educate her about not mixing the Percocet and Tramadol too closely together until she actually asked him after I told her that she should not take the maximum amount of each medication all at once, especially because she enjoys a glass of wine in the evening when she tends to take her pain medications to help her sleep. I warned her not to mix the wine and medications and explained why it was a bad idea.

 

Once my mom was educated about that, she was then confused about whether she could mix Ibuprofen with the opiates and I had to educate her that Ibuprofen and Percocet or Tramadol are ok together but to make sure not to take too much Acetaminophen along with the Percocet if she takes the maximum amount every 4-6 hours as is recommended on the bottle. Once again, I was so dismayed and surprised that my mom’s surgeon did not take the time to give her this important pharmacological education.

 

The surgeon did succeed at least in telling my mom about the side effects of being on strong opiate pain medication post-op. He encouraged her to take stool softeners for the constipation and not to drive while under the influence of the medications.

 

I was glad I was present to assist my mom in educating her about her medications and rather appalled that she had not been told what I considered very basic information about them in the post-op period.