Opinions on giving products to an aging parent

MsGizmo

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Here is the situation

My 77 year old mother is experiencing cognitive decline. Her husband (my stepfather) died in 2020 and since she lived more than and hour away my brother and I thought it best that she move closer to us. Which we did in 2021. Because of this I discovered just how badly she was taking care of herself. Her diabetes was out of control. She wasn't eating very well ... and to be honest its still pretty bad. Her food safety habits are weak and frankly her hygiene is pretty bad too. I have been working with her to get her in better shape. I started taking her to the doctor myself and tried to get her diabetes under control. At first we tried the metformin way .. but she wouldn't test her blood nor would she take her pills ... but she would tell me that she did if I asked. Then I tried to visit her daily to give her the pills in person and that was ok-ish. But she still wouldn't test herself and she was supposed to take the metformin twice a day so her A1C was still too high.

Finally in 2024 I learned more about Ozempic, aside from all the talk over weight loss. A once a week shot and it will control her blood sugar? Yes, please! Now that she is on that her A1C is in a normal range. Unfortunately that isn't the end of her problems. In the past year it seems she has lost all ability to use technology. Well ... I'm not so sure that she can't ... so much as she won't. If she has even the slightest problem with anything she gives up. For example she had a problem with her microwave and now basically refuses to even try to use it. I started her getting mobile meals ... but she won't put them in the freezer, while not ideal, isn't the worst thing in the world since they are eaten in less than a week. They are fine in the fridge for that long. Anyway ... since she won't use the microwave she is just eating everything cold. (I only discovered this is happening two days ago) She won't use the phone anymore even though I bought her a phone that only requires you hit one button to call its assigned person. She turns her TV on with the power button on the back and half of the time won't use the remote ... even after I taped off all the extra buttons. She also isn't bathing or cleaning the kitchen as often as I would like ... but who am I to judge? I continue to visit her every day. She is not in danger of falling or wandering off. She knows who everyone is and what is going on around her. She does have some problems with words ... like she will get stuck on knowing the name of something and if you ask her for something she might give you something else. Like if I ask her where her shoes are she might go and grab her coat instead. She is still taking care of her own needs and her house is fairly clean except for the kitchen. Sending her to a nursing home is completely out of the question.

Ok, now that you have the basics, here is my ethical dilemma ... do I try to give my mother peptides based on the possibility of improving her mental capacity? I don't think she currently has the ability to understand the alleged dangers of the Chinese mystery powders that I buy and use myself. I also don't think that she would refuse to take anything that I gave her. Money is not an issue at all.

Ok, give your opinions. I am very torn. I love my mother and I want her to get better. I also know that the Chinee mystery powders might not help her at all.
 
Similar conundrum with my father. Went down the rabbit hole looking for things that would improve his degenerative muscle condition. Had kind of a stack picked out but after having a long talk with my mom realized there was zero chance he would take weekly injections let alone multiple injections per day.

Could maybe start w/ creatinine , obviously very very safe. Nicotine as well. Both heavily used for a long long time that show positive cognitive benefits.
 
I would....and I do. But my 79 yo mom is still very active and doing pretty good mentally. She does have some very subtle cognitive changes that most people wouldn't notice, but I do because I'm hyper-alert to that due to past trauma. That's what made me decide to get her on Pinealon. I told her I would provide it to her, along with GLOW and epitalon, and she agreed to take it. If she was closer to where your mom is at, I'd probably give her cerebrolysin, too.
 
I fought that battle in '21. She refused to do ANYTHING she didn't want to and had completely let herself go.
I can forget the extent of how bad it was and then read a post like Mz Giz's and it all comes back. Fluid seeping out of her HUGE calves- lymphedema. Truly horrible having to clean and wrap daily...but damned if she would stop eating candy at 3 am.
Giz, if your mother won't help herself you're in for much unhappiness and frustration. And frankly she won't care that it's causing you grief. Here's to you being you.👍🙏
I hope I'm wrong about your Mom.
Once I thought I was wrong. I was mistaken.
 
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Absolutely no way I'd give peps to her. I say this after watching my mom ignore her health in seemingly illogical ways for YEARS until it caught up with her in her 70s. For example, she wouldn't so much as take a sip of wine, but she would also refuse all routine screenings. Every time I'd try to intervene, she would shut me down. So I took her to appointments and grocery shopped for her but otherwise stayed out of it, and I can sleep at night knowing that she owned her decisions and the consequences. Anyway...

I don't think she currently has the ability to understand the alleged dangers of the Chinese mystery powders that I buy and use myself.
Not only is it ethically wrong to give her a drug without her informed consent, it could be considered criminal (practicing medicine without a license). It sounds like you want the best for her, but sadly many people are elder abusers. Think about how it would look if something terrible happened and they found out it was caused by something you gave her. And think about how you'd feel. No way.

Young and middle aged people can play with this stuff with our sturdy immune systems and full knowledge of what we're buying, but elders are at much higher risk for issues from even innocuous stuff, let alone gray peps.
 
I fought that battle in '21. She refused to do ANYTHING she didn't want to and had completely let herself go.
I can forget the extent of how bad it was and then read a post like Mz Giz's and it all comes back. Fluid seeping out of her HUGE calves- lymphedema. Truly horrible having to clean and wrap daily...but damned if she would stop eating candy at 3 am.
Giz, if your mother won't help herself you're in for much unhappiness and frustration. And frankly she won't care that it's causing you grief. Here's to you being you.👍🙏
I hope I'm wrong about your Mom.
Once I thought I was wrong. I was mistaken.
Oh, she is not that bad. Other than the diabetes she is pretty healthy. While she doesn't bathe as often as I would prefer she is doing it. She is obese but has been losing weight due to her improved diet and ozempic. As for what she eats ... she can't eat a ton of candy because if its not her mobile meals then I bring it in to her and I don't bring her candy. I think her problem isn't that she doesn't want to take care of herself ... its that it doesn't occur to her to do it. She is the last parent remaining between my husband and me .. even all the step parents are gone. She's the only one that has had any cognitive issues and I just don't know what I can do to help.
 
Oh, she is not that bad. Other than the diabetes she is pretty healthy. While she doesn't bathe as often as I would prefer she is doing it. She is obese but has been losing weight due to her improved diet and ozempic. As for what she eats ... she can't eat a ton of candy because if its not her mobile meals then I bring it in to her and I don't bring her candy. I think her problem isn't that she doesn't want to take care of herself ... its that it doesn't occur to her to do it. She is the last parent remaining between my husband and me .. even all the step parents are gone. She's the only one that has had any cognitive issues and I just don't know what I can do to help.
Oh good! Happy to hear that. VERY happy for you.
She would tell Drs and nurses that she bathed once a week. Total BS. Never in almost two years that I was there did she bathe. I would have to cover my nose and try not to breathe much when I'd go into the living room from the wretched odor. She lived in her recliner. Only got up with great effort to use the facilities and used a walker. Firemen ( 4 ) would be called when she fell as it was impossible for me to pick her up. I once tried to keep her from falling and messed up my back-for a month. It was not a pleasant experience and I'd wish it on no one. That was my step-mother. My mother ( her sister ) died when I was 6.
 
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Ok, give your opinions. I am very torn. I love my mother and I want her to get better. I also know that the Chinee mystery powders might not help her at all.
I might sound like a crazy person here, but speaking in all honesty, I'd do anything and everything necessary to try and save my mother. I'm just not ready, and don't think I ever will be, my heart goes out to you. I may or may not be already preparing for anyone in my family by stocking PNC27, P21, SS-31, MOTS-c, Pinealon, and am hoping to find PHDP5 one day.
 
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it’s difficult to see loved ones age, and it’s especially difficult to think we have a treatment that could work and face the ethical dilemma you seem to be in. My heart hurts for you, but in no way could I truly understand what you face.

Opinion: No judgement on what you decide to do, but for me, if she cannot consent and doesn’t/wouldn’t understand what was happening… I’d have to give it the impossibly difficult pass. Consent with a clear mind matters. If you have medical power of attorney or are her assigned healthcare agent you have better ethical ground to stand on, still if something goes terribly wrong I think you might be in some legal trouble regardless.

Sincerely, you have my sympathy and whatever you decide to do mindfully, please don’t allow any of us to make you feel judged or take away your peace.
 
Absolutely no way I'd give peps to her. I say this after watching my mom ignore her health in seemingly illogical ways for YEARS until it caught up with her in her 70s. For example, she wouldn't so much as take a sip of wine, but she would also refuse all routine screenings. Every time I'd try to intervene, she would shut me down. So I took her to appointments and grocery shopped for her but otherwise stayed out of it, and I can sleep at night knowing that she owned her decisions and the consequences. Anyway...


Not only is it ethically wrong to give her a drug without her informed consent, it could be considered criminal (practicing medicine without a license). It sounds like you want the best for her, but sadly many people are elder abusers. Think about how it would look if something terrible happened and they found out it was caused by something you gave her. And think about how you'd feel. No way.

Young and middle aged people can play with this stuff with our sturdy immune systems and full knowledge of what we're buying, but elders are at much higher risk for issues from even innocuous stuff, let alone gray peps.
The other legal issue is that if for any reason something happened to her and it resulted in injury or death, it would be unethical to withhold that information from medical professionals. There’ve been plenty of cases where someone had a bad reaction to drugs and the friends/family wouldn’t say what it was or how much for fear of criminal prosecution (which doctors don’t care about).

Personally, if I coerced someone into a situation and anything at all went wrong, I’d never forgive myself. Ignorance of the law isn’t an excuse. I’m sure this isn’t going to make a difference but pragmatically, I don’t think there’s a peptide in existence that can reverse 77 years of bad choices, especially the brain. Yeah, we can heal but it takes years and a holistic approach, not a few needles.
 
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