Prune Juice and Psych Patients???

[IamRN08]

OK I know this is a very odd question but I figured I would throw it out and see if anyone has info about it. I work on a in patient chronic psych unit. We have a variety of juices that we use for our patients. All our juice is kept in the med room so that means that each time a pt wants juice they ask a nurse. Over the past month I have noticed that our pts are consuming a large amount of prune juice. Honestly, they drink so much that it makes me wonder if there is a connection between this type of juice and psych pts. I know their meds can lend to constipation but this juice thing is way beyond a cup or two for relief of constipation. I have informed the patients that there is a limit on the juice but of course I am only there a short time and I can't control what other staff does. I have worked in the substance abuse field a long time and as odd as it sounds these pts are displaying addictive type behaviors over prune juice. They continually approach the desk asking for it and if you say no they wait till another staff comes into the area and tries to secretly ask them for it. When they get it they rush off to various corners of the unit where they are out of site. Then soon as they consume it they are really back at the desk with in 30 mins asking for more. It's so intense that I just can't help but wonder if there is some type of connection here that I am just missing. I figured if grapefruit juice can mess with so many meds perhaps there is a connection with prune juice too??

I would love some feedback on this odd topic.

[IamRN08]

Prune juice would be just prune juice if it were only used a cup or two daily. However, we are talking like 5 or more large tumbler type cups and they would drink more if given more. To add to this matter, since this thread started and we have changed the way was distribute prune juice we have found that the pts that drink the most prune juice are also putting toothpaste in their drinks. I asked one of them why and was informed that it makes their drinks taste like alcohol. So there was (is) something with the juice and now the toothpaste issue after all. Plus some of these pts are very young so not from that generation. Either way, I just knew something was not on the up and up and it seems that we are getting to the bottom of things.

[jujube]

Prune juice would be just prune juice if it were only used a cup or two daily. However, we are talking like 5 or more large tumbler type cups and they would drink more if given more. To add to this matter, since this thread started and we have changed the way was distribute prune juice we have found that the pts that drink the most prune juice are also putting toothpaste in their drinks. I asked one of them why and was informed that it makes their drinks taste like alcohol. So there was (is) something with the juice and now the toothpaste issue after all. Plus some of these pts are very young so not from that generation. Either way, I just knew something was not on the up and up and it seems that we are getting to the bottom of things.

Exactly

Thanks for clarifying with your post (oops,I wasn't specific in my previous posts). Same situation as you--- The pts repeatedly coming to the nursing station to insist on more than 1-can of prune/day were relatively young (20s,male).