If family can get orodispersible olanzapine to a family member who is non compliant without their knowledge - should they?
I wouldn’t take that chance. Once that trust is broken it will be 100 times harder to get any meds into them by any means later on. You might have to go with long acting injectable meds. Let the nurse or doctor be the heavy on that one. Because if a family member breaks the trust… it’s over.
I’ve read a lot of books and stuff on this site that has said sneaking the med into the food is a big no no.
Huge gamble. I’d say talk to some professionals and get some ideas that might be less trust breaking.
I won’t say that thought has never crossed my mind but it is strongly advised against. As SurprisedJ said, once you break that trust then getting it back is very hard. Even doctors will not give medications without the person being informed of it unless in an emergency situation. If the person has any form of paranoia and find out that it happened then you would also run the risk of that person not eating.
If I was ill enough to need someone drugging my food and I found out about it, honestly I’d have torn the place up.
if somebody put meds in my food I would probably freak out on them.
I went through that. My younger brother once snuck some of my meds into my food and I really freaked out and quit eating any food at the house. It took a long time for my parents to convince me that it was a mistake and they themselves had nothing to do with it.
I already am paranoid of people drugging my food - this would really freak me out!!
I wouldn’t force meds on a schizophrenic. Firstly meds are not effective. They do not solve the problem. Also they have bad side effects like feeling low, unsociable, tired and apathetic.
Im schizophrenic 10 yrs but rarely take meds. I just take meds for anxiety.
Anyway, I hope your family member feels better.
Wrong…
I know some families have done this with some success, when nothing else was possible. However, as the others have pointed out - it has many, many risks and potential downsides.
It might even be illegal.
SZ or not, slipping anything in to any ones food or drink for any reason would violate a huge level of trust.
This to me could be so dangerous. What if you slipped meds in their food and then for some blue moon un-foreseen reason they took the meds on their own and now there is an over dose. That would scare me too much to ever try it.