<p>Good that you have a list! Be aware that women to a very significant degree experience lethargy more as a side effect to some drugs than men do and age is another huge factor. Drug profiles when they list percentages who experienced a side effect don’t differentiate usually by gender. And I always say that if it’'s YOU who has the side effect it doesn’t matter what it did to others.
Wish there was a pill for hard-headed-ness! That’s VERY hard to cure. Good luck!
Of course she’s wrong that exercise would make her more tired–or maybe it does which is why I mentioned muscle weakness (calcium/magnesium/iron). And excessive potassium big time just came to mind for that list (affects heart rhythm, muscles). Could be in supplement form and/or dietary potassium. Has she had any blood levels drawn lately?
Just throwing suggestions out there in case something sticks. I wouldn’t expect her to stop the caffeine easily if that’s what keeps her going at the moment but no, it can’t be good for her. She’s probably built up a high tolerance to it so it probably doesn’t make her jittery or nervous at all (you tell us). If it takes care of her symptoms of sleeping her life away she won’t be convinced soon to stop. You’ll have to find a cause for her tiredness first.</p>
<p>Consolation --</p>
<p>I will definitely write a letter to my mom’s doctor detailing all of my concerns. It certainly can’t hurt and it might help. My mom can be very hard headed. She doesn’t always follow her doctor’s suggestions. She will decide to stop taking one of her medications without first consulting her doctor. She’s done this on a couple of occasions.</p>
<p>I’ve spoken to my mom in the past about going to doctor’s appts with her. It’s a bit of a hassle because I have to drive over 6 hours to get there. She hasn’t been open to the idea. She’s adamant that she doesn’t need any assistance from me. I know this is typical of many seniors. </p>
<p>My MIL loved having me take her to her medical appts. We’d go out to lunch afterwards or go shopping.</p>
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<p>Yes, she has substantial muscle weakness. Who wouldn’t if they lay in bed 75% of the day! She’s always been very physically inactive her entire life.</p>
<p>I have no idea when was the last time she had blood work done. I’ve asked her numerous times to get copies of all of her blood work and tests and keep them in a file. Of course, she doesn’t see the need for this. She doesn’t reveal the results of her blood work with me, so I have no idea if things are not within normal limits.</p>
<p>This is so very frustrating because I know it’s affecting her quality of life. She’s too tired to enjoy life. She won’t come to visit us because she doesn’t have the energy. Last time I asked if I could come to visit her, she said she wasn’t up to it because she was just too tired.</p>
<p>I quite understand how frustrating it is! But it’s nigh impossible to MAKE someone take care of themselves if they don’t want to or find it difficult in any way. Otherwise we wouldn’t have a diet/fitness forum–we’d already be in good shape! All you can really do is work to remove the barriers keeping the unhealthy habits going. I hope you don’t feel any guilt for her actions/inactions–they do belong to her and not you. All you can do is try.
Is she on a walker? Is she still driving? If she really is very weak, she stands a good chance of falling without some sort of extra support. Last thing needed is a broken hip or pelvis.</p>
<p>Tell her that your concerns about her also affect YOU! (gently though, don’t push hard–Hey Mom! Know about this or that? I think it would be great if we could get some answers! and ask if she’d be willing to let you be able talk to her doctor directly so SHE doesn’t have to bother with relaying info to you (to get around HIPPA guidelines they’ll need her permission). And her health problems do affect you since you could be the one taking care of her! It benefits you greatly for her to remain healthy.
At her age, you need some sort of papers/agreement in place anyway in case of medical emergency.</p>
<p>87 and liking her coffee buzz? I say leave it alone. It sounds like a lot of coffee but maybe it’s part of why she made it to 87. Coffee is actually pretty good for you.</p>
<p>I wonder if she has an underlying heart condition that is causing her all this fatigue?</p>
<p>My 81 year old father drinks a ton of diet coke. He also has fatigue and muscle weakness due to other medical issues. The coke doesn’t seem to affect his appetite at all. It’s not the best for him but he has never smoked or drank alcohol. At 81 if he wants to be addicted to caffeine I figure it is none of my business…</p>
<p>These are so bad for you. People drink caffeine for energy, but over time they actually pound your adrenal glands which is the real source of metabolism and energy. Fix the thyroid and adrenal glands and childlike energy returns to many people.</p>
<p>watch this movie, sub-clinical hypothyroidism is very common [Thyroid</a> Disorders, Hypothryoid Symptoms, Thyroid Treatment | Holtorf Medical Group](<a href=“http://www.holtorfmed.com/thyroid-disorders.html]Thyroid”>http://www.holtorfmed.com/thyroid-disorders.html)</p>
<p>I, too, was going to bring up thyroid testing to rule out that as the underlying fatigue issue. I would write the letter to the physician and do it from the perspective of you trying to help him help Mom. Write that you are concerned Mom does not share with her doctor the complaints she tells you. Mention all the meds she takes, in case some are from different docs, mention the way she spends her time, the lethargy and the way she treats it with drinks. If the doctor is good he can include those types of questions in his review of her systems, just being more specific and not telling on you for communicating with him.</p>
<p>Raiders83 --</p>
<p>Thanks for the link to the video about hypothyroidism. My mom was diagnosed with this about 25 years ago. I know she takes a low dosage of Synthroid. It’s very possible that the Synthroid isn’t working. I’m going to do some research on the web about the effects of caffeine on the adrenal glands. Then I’m going to write a letter to her doctor.</p>
<p>I found this online. Very interesting. </p>
<p>Cherniske explains your body’s “perspective” of this constant state: “Imagine you lived in a country that was always under threat of attack. No matter where you went, there was a perpetual state of alert. Not only that, but your defenses were constantly being depleted and weakened. Does that sound stressful? Caffeine produces the same effect on your body, like fighting a war on multiple fronts at the same time.” Cherniske calls your body’s constant state of alert “caffeinism,” which is characterized by fatigue, anxiety, mood swings, sleep disturbance, irritability and depression.</p>
<p>After prolonged “caffeinism,” your body enters a state of adrenal exhaustion. Your caffeine consumption has simply pushed your adrenal glands so much that they’ve burned out. Ralph T. Golan, ND, describes this unfortunate state in his book, Herbal Defense: “Caffeine forces your glands to secrete when they don’t have much left to give, and they have to keep digging deeper and deeper, making you more and more tired over time. And over the years, it takes more and more coffee to get the same result. Some people reach the point of drinking half a dozen or more cups of coffee to get the same result and it’s barely keeping them awake. That’s severe adrenal depletion.”</p>
<p>In other words, caffeine affects your body just like any drug. You start taking it slowly, but as your body develops a tolerance to it, you need more and more to feel the same effects. Eventually, your body reaches a point where it can’t be without it; otherwise, you will start to experience withdrawal symptoms.</p>
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<p>You should be aware that when your mother’s doctor mentions to her the letter he/she received from you, your mother may very well hit the roof. It could very well permanently scar your relationship with your mother. Some people would take a dim view of uninvited butting into their relationship with their doctor. Especially these days when everything goes on your permanent health record.</p>
<p>I’m with zoosiermom. At 87 years old, I’d leave the poor woman alone. Odds are, you will only have her for a few more years. Do you really want to spend that in a battle royale over how much coffee she drinks?</p>
<p>Its not a question, as I see it, of how much coffee she drinks. It is a question of maximizing her quality of life. She’s on a lot of meds, some probably completely unnecessary, she suffers from fatigue, abdominal discomfort, and sweating. </p>
<p>I would not want to write her off and just say, “Oh, she’s old, just let her be.”</p>
<p>As I’ve said before my mother is about to turn 90. She lives by herself, does yard work, reads The New Yorker and The Economist, drives (but not at night), and takes a daily walk. No way would I just shrug it off if she were suffering from the problems that the OP’s mother is, especially if they were caused by medications and self-medicating.</p>
<p>Put the shoe on the other foot. How would you like it if your mother contacted your personal physician to discuss something about you?</p>
<p>I know what I would do. I would immediate contact my physician and have that person removed from the contact list and a note added to my medical records to share absolutely zero health information with that person.</p>
<p>I do think that as our parents age we slowly begin to parent them and sometimes must interfere as we did with our toddlers. If the doctor could keep the letter confidential and merely use the information as a tool for opening a dialog that could be what is best for your Mom.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I absolutely support my mother’s food indulgences, she is small, she cannot afford to lose weight, she is nearly 90. Whatever favorite foods she wants, be it salt or sugar, I buy it for her. I am not at all worried about her cholesterol and I think when I am her age I would skip the meds, but she is of the obedient generation.</p>
<p>When I write the letter, I will ask her doctor to keep it confidential. My mother has in writing that she wants me to be her health care proxy when she is no longer able to make her own decisions.</p>