Doctors and Pharmacies

I have been learning a lot about prescriptions lately. They all sound the same so it gets really confusing.

We had my Dad on an anti-anxiety pill, Lorazapam. We originally got the medication to ease his move back in April but he still managed to run away. The medication originally freaked us out. Dad was so loopy, confused, drunk-like, and in a fog. He didn't know what was up or what was down and the deciding factor to take him off the pill was when he put his hands in the toilet to wash them instead of in the sink. Poor thing.

When he started jumping the fence at Whittier Place, they suggested putting him back on the medication. We were adamant about not going down that road again. After talking to the doctor, they prescribed Xanax (aka Alprazolam) instead. The difference between Xanax and the old medication was amazing. Dad was Dad, except just a little less anxious. Bingo! We found one that works for him.

Suddenly, the doctor/pharmacy changed the medication to Clonazapam without even telling us. The staff at Whittier didn't like how this medication made Dad act and they stopped using it. So we had to call the doctor again. It's just frustrating that the Pharmacy would give him Xanax and then change it to something else and not tell anyone. Since my Dad gets his prescriptions through the VA, it's a much longer process than just going to pick it up at the local Rite Aid. The prescription comes in the mail and since I am not home to sign for it then I have to go to the downtown Post Office to pick it up, and then drive it over to Whittier.

Luckily Dad had been having a pretty good last couple of weeks, but he started getting anxious and upset again the past few days and I was finally able to get the Xanax over to Whittier yesterday. We also got him transferred over to the Long Beach VA which is going to be so helpful. He still has this awful rash and the doctor that we were seeing before STILL thinks it's Scabies even though the health department came to Whittier and ruled out that possibility. That doctor doesn't know what it is and she isn't being very helpful. Poor Dad was laying on the floor the other day rubbing his back on the carpet because the itch was so bad. We do have medicine to help with the itch, but obviously it's not helping that much. We're going to make an appointment to get some lab tests done because a couple different doctors have mentioned that a rash could be the result of Liver or Kidney problems. With Dad's track record of drinking, that could be a possibility. Guess we'll see.