Atropine drops useful?

[JantheNana]

I hear of atropine drops being given for excessive salivation and am wondering why my husband's doctor has never mentioned them.He has taken glycoprylate for years supposedly to help with this condition but recently while in hospital a different Dr. said the glycoprylate would make it worse and took him off it.I need some feedback from others with experience with both these meds.

[easterncedar]

My guy was on atropine for a year and it worked perfectly, until it suddenly didn't. We switched to the glyco, which gave him a few days of relief at the end.

[JantheNana in reply to easterncedar]

Thanks! Can you remember the dosage of the glyco?

[easterncedar in reply to JantheNana]

2 1-mg tablets three times a day was prescribed, but I only gave them twice a day, crushed. He wasn't swallowing much at that point. It really helped quite dramatically with the choking.

[JantheNana in reply to easterncedar]

That is helpful.I need to speak with the neurologist and see if he can up the dosage of the glycol or prescribe the atropine drops.

[easterncedar in reply to JantheNana]

My guy's GP was originally reluctant to prescribe the atropine, which I had read about on this site. He said to me that it was only prescribed for end-of-life situations. The palliative care doctor, who worked closely with the GP, said it was a good idea, and so we gave the drops a try, and they worked like a charm, There were no side-effects that I knew of, although we only at then end were using the full dose recommended. Two drops a sublingually morning and evening of the 1% solution, I think, worked for almost a year.

[jzygirl]

Most gp's are reluctant to give them because they are actually eye drops. We had to get the neuro to prescribe them and write to the gp to request them on a repeat prescription.

The worked well for my husband right up till he passed away. Jane xx

[JantheNana in reply to jzygirl]

I think I can get his neurologist to prescribe them if I can ever get him out of the hospital where he is under the care of other doctors(who don't know much about PSP.)

[Marie_14]

My husband was switched to Glycoprylate the day before he died. It worked until the fallowing day.

I think all medications probably fail eventually so they need others to try then. Here in the UK they wouldn't give my husband Atrophine in the hospital as they said it wasn't licensed for the purpose I requested it for! Perhaps I could have got it from a friendly doctor had I known one?

If your husband has been on the drug for years I would question why he was taken off it as it was working? Was it a Neurologist you saw? If not I would contact him/her and ask for advice asap.

What is the name of the new drug they have put him on?

Marie x

[JantheNana]

Marie,thanks for the reply.Actually they did not put him on anything to replace the glycoprylate.

And no,it was not a neurologist who took him off of it.He was in what they called a specialty hospital but the dr.who was assigned to him was a urologist and it was his assistant who made the change.

Now he is in a rehab facility getting PT to hopefully come home and I haven't even seen the dr.assigned to him there yet!

They did finally bring a suction device to his room to help keep the saliva out of his mouth.After I asked 3 times and got no for an answer.

Do you recall the dosage of glycoprylate that was prescribed.I had been thinking of asking the neurologist for a higher dose as it was not working that well.Up until he was in the hospital he was taking 1mg 3x per day

[am2015 in reply to JantheNana]

That is shocking that a urologist would make that decision, simply wrong. Speak to someone in palliative care.

Atropine worked for my mum for 8 months or so, we have upped the dose and will try hyoscine patches. The glyco is extremely expensive £750per month !! Suction for us is a last resort as it is quite evasive.

[Marie_14 in reply to JantheNana]

Jan he only got it during the last 24 hours of his life and then it was injected so I have no idea how much.

He was on Hypocine patches until they failed the day before he died. The young doctor who came to see him said she had never known that happen before and I asked her about glycoprylate. She was scared stiff to use it! Told me she would ring the Hospice for advice. They told her to use it! I felt sorry for her as she was a junior doctor pushed into a situation she had never come across before.

You need to contact your husband's Neurologist asap and tell him what has happened!

Marie x

[loppylugs5]

Des had travel sickness patches,we used them for special occasions because they make the mouth dry which makes swallowing problems worse. There is always a downside, sods law1Px

[VronB]

Atropine drops help john a lot at the moment but I believe the effectiveness wears off. X

[Julieandrog]

Atropine working well for us at the moment, although have upped the dose. As it is not liscenced in the UK for oral use some GPs may be resitant to prescribe.

Julie

[Robbo1]

My husband used them but they do cause hallucinations in some people. I had to be careful with the dose as he was one of them. Now he is peg fed, he does not seem to drool. Best wishes, hope it works out well. X