The person you're looking after may be prescribed medication if they have mental health problems. In some cases, the medication may be prescribed for a limited period of time. In others, medication can be prescribed indefinitely. Medication is often combined with other treatment, such as counselling.
Some medication works better for certain people than for others. It may take doctors a while before they can find the best medication, or the best dosage of that medication, for the person you're looking after.
Taking medication
As a carer, you may need to supervise medication for the person you're looking after, to ensure that they take it regularly and in the correct amounts. If that’s the case, you should make sure you have all the information you need from the doctor who prescribed the medication.
You'll need to know, for example, the time of day the medication should be given, whether it needs to be taken with meals or before meals and whether some types of medication should be taken separately or can be taken together. You'll also need to ensure that prescriptions are dispensed in time so that the person you're looking after doesn't run out of medication.
If you're worried about the person you're looking after remembering to take their medication, but can't be there to supervise, there are various ways they can be reminded:
- They can use a pill box to make sure they take each day’s medication. Automatic versions of these boxes are available where the dispenser beeps and a small opening allows access to the tablets.
- You can telephone them at the times they need to take their medication.
- You can arrange for a care worker to visit at the hours of day medication needs to be taken.
In some cases injections are available that release the medication in small quantities over several weeks. They aren't suitable for everyone and you and the person you're looking after should check the advantages and disadvantages with a doctor.
Other safety concerns
You and the person you're looking after can take a number of steps to ensure safety when taking medication:
- Make sure that the medication is clearly labelled and dosage instructions are understood.
- Be aware that over-the-counter (OTC) medication shouldn't be taken with prescribed medication unless a doctor or pharmacist has confirmed it's safe to do so.
- Be aware that if a dose of the medication is missed, it may not be safe to take a larger amount later on.
- The person you're looking after may be willing to let you remove any surplus medication to make sure that they don't take it by mistake.
If the person you're looking after refuses to take medication
If you're worried about the health of the person you're looking after and feel their condition is deteriorating because they haven't been taking their medication, contact the local community mental health team or GP. In most cases people have the right to refuse to take medication. It's only in certain extreme cases that they can be forced to take it.
Try to find out the reasons why they're refusing to take it. They may just be neglecting themself, or they may have reasons for not wanting to take it, such as a fear of side effects or of feeling out of control. You should encourage them to discuss these concerns with healthcare professionals.
The person you're looking after may also feel a sense of despair. They may think that there's no point in continuing to take medication because it's not making a difference. Remind them that there are different types of medication and it's possible that they need to see their doctor to discuss changing to a different type.
You and the person you're looking after should also be aware of alternatives to medication, such as counselling, which they may find more acceptable than medication.
