My mother is experiencing delusions and paranoia but she will not take any medication for her symptoms. What can I do to help her?

Hi there.
how old is she? Dementia? Why won't she take her meds? They work! Is she alone?

you might have to 'slip her a mickey' with her prescribed meds...

I think that Namenda comes in a liquid form.

let us know and hang in there,

Bobbie

She just turned 70. She is so functional on the other levels that at first she seems normal. Her health is otherwise excellent and she rarely sees her Dr. She feels that the Dr does not believe her and will not investigate her case due to a conspiracy of silence about her bugs. She feels them all over sometimes (poor thing). He gave her a prescription of risperdal but the side affect information scared her so she only took it for a couple of weeks and it made her dizzy. She is my dads caretaker and they live in their own home 2 and 1/2 hours away.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR RISPERDAL ®

Elderly Patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with atypical antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death compared to placebo. RISPERDAL ® (risperidone) is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis.

I just took the above off the risperdal website.

mom needs a NEW DOCTOR! No wonder the side effects scared her!

Google some geriatric docs in her area and set her up with a new doc. You'll both feel better!

hang in there and you can do this!

good luck

Bobbie

I will thank you. I will make a point to go with her. I am starting to get a little paranoid about medication myself. I am definately going to start reading those folded up pieces of paper in the box. What a shock!

It's nuts, isn't it? That was one of the first things I did was to change out mom's dr.

I also found the Namenda on a website and learned more about it. Mom was acting out and out of control. the Namenda helped tremendously.

Google is your friend. just type in anything you want to know about and start sifting through it all.

You could research a few drugs based on your mom's needs and discuss them with the NEW dr. Only an idiot dr is against new information and the one you choose will look forward to your input!

you gonna be fine

Bobbie

My dad takes namenda and seroquelXR and it really helps with the alzheimers and anxiety. If you cant get her to take it buy a pill crusher and put it in the first bite if you can. It doesn't knock him out but it keeps him from lashing out.

Mom is on low dose Ativan and haven't noticed any side effects. A low dose of Seroquel, less that 25 meg day, had side effects starting after pehaps ten days: stiffening of whole body like Rigor Mortis, facial contortions, tongue sticking out, choking, and Seroquel anger. It also is NOT recommended for elderly dementia. After staying with her normal dose of Zoloft for a week, we went on low dose of Ativan, and that works very well.

We tried Namenda for five days or so, and though I noticed her walking improved and she was starting to use things like light switches again, she mostly wanted to nap and had fitful twilight sleep that was delusional. So, back to Zoloft and Ativan.

I know these side effects go all over the map with people. Because the physical side effects were so severe with Seroquel, they sparked their own paranoid delusions, so heck with that.

Oh, Mom had delusions about stuffed toys being her babies, or a cute baby greeting card...that is her child. Ok, go along with it. But then she crosses the line where she's paranoid about them. Okay, pretend is over. I drag out reality and have her come present. "Mom, come into the room and be present. Look around and be part of reality. These are not real living babies, they are toys. They are cute, they are adorable. But they are not alive. Look, they all have tags, and they are made of fabric.That's the good news, Mom, is that they are toys you can love, and they cannot die cause they are not alive. And the good news is that your fear is only a thought, so you can change your mind. So come back out of your head and look around..." and so forth...

I mean, why not try it? So far, three or four times I've had to use it, it has worked. She stopped clutching her fists to her eyes, relaxed, looked at her toys, and was fine.

I see it like sitting for someone who is on a bummer, a bad drug trip. I assume this will not always work, but so far I'm the only one to shoot up a flare for "reality." Alzheimer's 0, Reality 3.

Definitely change her doctor and go with her! Meds can do all kinds of things to a person's mind and body. If she does have the beginnings of dementia, it may take time to find the right drug to help her. Some drugs can cause the "bug" reaction, but usually from withdrawal. She could be having this problem because of stopping a med that she was on.
Tell her new doctor about this and ask if stopping any of her meds would cause her to see bugs. Mom was in the hospital last year and they withheld her Parkinsons meds and she saw bugs for 4 or 5 days.

I am also wondering what to do. My mother lives alone, is 92, still driving and doing her own taxes,paying bills, etc. and thinks her family is somehow getting into her house - even at night while she is sleeping and taking and/or bringing things. If something is missing and then, she finds it, she claims we have returned it, all under the conspiracy of making her think she is losing her mind so we can have control of her money.... I live in another state, so my sister and niece get the blame. I often just listen.

ok, update on the Ativan. After a few weeks, Mom started having these zombie DeadZone episodes...you know when in a horror movie, someone normal looks at you with this endless steady stare and says with a low slow voice..."Who Are You People Any Way..." and goes onto accuse you of trying to kill her. When not a half hour before she is begging for me to do just that. Or to "just let me go!" Good grief...the INSTINCT is she is still paranoid, bring on more ATIVAN. But it WAS the Ativan talking, not mom. The Ativan apparently also caused urine retention, which if not figured out means lifetime of catheterization...and in mom's case total sedation. When she was so painful with the urine stuck, and not being able to poop, I finally called the ambulance, throwing myself on the couch wailing. This was it...nursing home, all because of pee.

It was beyond the scope of my medical know how...I did not know it was the Ativan causing this actually. At the ER, by the time I got there after the ambulance, they were torturing Mom and I threw a fit. I got them to figure how to sedate her, using a full day's dose of Ativan IV...whee...she didn't care one swat about anything after that. She was Rx'd for uti, which turned out to be false positive..but meanwhile immediate relief...and my RN niece who used to work in the geriatric psych ward said, "Oh, ativan and that class of drug used to cause urinary retention often with my patients."

WHAT...I find out from my niece about there. Where was everyone at the hospital on this subject? I took the chance and took Mom off Ativan, swearing to use just for severe paranoia...and guess what...some muscle cramps withdrawal for four days maybe...and then no delusions...not the ones she had pre-Seroquel. not the paranoia...then I took her off Zoloft and her functioning went up a level. she's reading National Enquirer instead of baby picture books.

Look up Beers Criteria for guide about how to do trials of weaning your senior off drugs.

If I were old and frail and knowing I was losing track of things, I'd be darned paranoid about my money as well. I hae had enough experience with sisters and the Public Guardian's office (supposedly protecting her assets) to see how the money grab works...