She is Bipolar depressed and I am Bipolar manic. I am prescribed Seroquel. She has been on Lithium most of her life so it is shutting down her kidneys and can no longer take it. However I know that we r at 2 opposite ends of the spectrum but she should not be given Seroquel. She says she feels worse and now I know why. She also has debilitating anxiety and the cut down her Klonopin and Trazadone. She is miserable and I thought with my poa and medical proxy that they needed my prior approval for a medication change. Am I wrong cuz we went through this once before and her Dr. always contacted me prior to a medication change.
I think if you tell the doctor that, when medications are changed, you would like to be called and told what is changed and why and what they hope for with the change, that the doctor, if you are health care proxy will do this. I hope so anyway, as it is the responsible thing to do.
Good luck.
I wouldn't approach the doctor as if he/she had done something w/o your permission, but rather use this as an opportunity to establish a closer relationship with the doctor on medication management. This will be very beneficial in the short and long run.
If the doctor has a PA or NP, try to get information from that person first, indicating that you need to be fully informed as to your mother's meds, and ask what steps can be taken to make this happen.
You can also ask about the specific med (after researching it online so you have some knowledge of its function) and how it relates to your mother's condition.
That'll demonstrate your interest in being up to date as well as in cooperating with the medical team.
And BTW, what is this doctor's specialty? Cardiac, pulmonary, PCP? If the latter, I'd be more than a little bit leary; I haven't been impressed with PCPs' coordination with specialist doctors.
But what happened, exactly, and what would you like to happen next?