My wife is in her 3rd year of Alzheimer. Her worst symptom is extreme anxiety, wants to go out, then in, then out, never happy where is.

Hey, It seems familiar to me... see a specialist who deals in Alzheimer, it can help you. Regrads

same condition with my dad... he is having Dementia, now on medication, improved a lot!!! ^^

Many times with AD folks behave this way... It is hard and diffucult to deal with...I would also encourage you to take her to a specialist. She is obviously not comfortable. I would get some medication that could calm her. Anxiety is very real, and she does not have any control over it. For both of you I would encourage you to get some medication.

I agree also, darcy, my moms neurologist who is the "head of neurology" said seraquel and haldon antipsychotic drugs are only used if depakote doesnt work, which usually always does. They are called black labeled drugs and NOT for anyone with dementia issues due to a high incidence of heart attack or strokes. I do know it works for people, its how desperate the situation is. Best of luck .

darcy123-thank you for bringing up the dangers of meds in elderly patients. My dad is not really all that elderly but he has the body and mind of a 90 year old according to his Neurologisat, GP, Psychiatrist and Psychlogists. They are not sure what triggered this-possibly interferon based chemo therapies. He was for all practical purposes normal in every sense of the word and had a stroke that destroyed most of his brain at 61 and somehow the interferon laced medications cause him to suffer from rashes, frozen face, and too many side effects to list.
His Neurologists are amazed that he is even alive. His body chemistry is not normal. He can take a medicine for one thing and instead of helping it gets worse.
He was given contrast dye for an MRI and he was allergic and went into anaphalactic shock so severe he had to have a hole cut in his airway. Two weeks later they decided to give him a contrast dye called Gadolinium and they said his chances of having a reaction were all but impossible-again he went into shock and nearly died. He was given medication to make his heart race-a substitute for a treadmill test and he almost died again and had to be defibrillated because it caused him to go into ventricular tachycardia. Now his drs give him the lowest possible dose of any medication first and even then they instruct to cut that in half or even in 1/4 before administering. Physicians are pill happy-not all but they get perks for trying new medications on patients. I've researched this and found out that physicians are given tickets to the theaters, free dinners, invitations paid for to exoctic places for seminars to guinea pig their patients and provide feed back. The sad thing is the negative effects are under reported.if reported at all. One drug company spends millions a year getting doctors to pass out free samples. Be very wary of samples. Almost all prescriptions warn against usage by the elderly.
A younger, healthier patient can usually withstand side effects without too much trouble but they can be devastating to the elderly or an already weakened patient.
Menos daughter

JBecker1, as you can see, there are a number of drugs ... and not all of them are mentioned here ... that might be helpful for your wife. You need to work with a doctor knowledgable about the condition, your wife's particular circumstances, and the fact that symptoms can be treated.

The worst obstacle to getting help is doctors who throw up their hands, say "It is demntia and there is no cure," and go on to the next patient.

Just be careful with the haldol.... that is a rough med. It was very controversial when I was nursing.... it was only given in the absolute worst cases where there was absolutely no other alternative. it generally was considered a bad drug. if it IS the only thing that helps... then I guess you don't have an alternative, but make informed decisions.

My dad is also a up down into everything worse than any 2 yr old and thank
GOD for his dr...... we tried him on different meds for about a yr to find the right combo and dose... he is now on Seroquel (Quetiapine) and Haloperidol (Brand name: Haldol) the haloperidol 0.5mg he take 3 times a day and Seroquel he takes with diner this gives him some good sleep to where he isn't as bad with all of the anxiety and seeing all different things that are not there....

jbecker, i went through this with my mother for a year. She even tried to jump out a window as I had all doors chained high on top. She would get mad and unreasonable, its like a "spell"that comes over them. I took her to a neurologist and he gave her anti-seizure medication called depakote sprinkles. My mom never had a seizure, its just the safest medication to calm the brain. I even had students on it in my class when I worked. Let me tell you, I wish I didn't suffer year, and wish my mom didnt suffer a year before I found this medicine. at first they sleep a lot, then they are fine, its a life saver so I hope you can get to the doctors , or call them soon. "home" is comfort, they say it no matter where they are and it usually happens afternoon (sundowners). Good Luck to You, be careful, she will walk right out your door and she can get very aggressive, but she doesn't mean it.

i use ativan; when chewed, it is a very small tabliet; i get instant almost action.. 1mg

We used low doses of Valium. In fact, after a serious injury where I was dealing with a lot of pain, I was given Valium and also before a surgery where I was very nervous. Ask for a very very low dose..

i am quite surrised that 3 mg of the anti anxiety meds arent help...maybe she needs it spread out throughout the day?

Please see a specialist who deals in Alzheimer. Though they can't cure, they can help with her quality of life. I only wish I could have talked my dad into a geriatric doctor for my mom in the beginning. He had trouble accepting that she needed more than her GP was providing. They all deserve a chance. .

Be careful.. as a nurse, I can say Drs don't always have your loved ones best interests at heart. :( Do your homework before starting any new meds. My moms Dr almost killed her with meds that are advertised as NOT for elderly or dementia patients??

I do understand the feeling though. My mom is very difficult. "I want to go home!" (At home already.) Up and down, getting into everything, incontinent, belligerent, LIES, accuses people of horrible things...Thinks there are "Stacks of dead human bodies in the guest bedroom. Can't watch TV without thinking it is about her, all the actors are people she knows or the "bad" guys are out to get her.

Get help. Don't try to do it alone. Do you have kids?

I hope that your wife is seeing a specialist, either in dementia, or in geriatric medicine. You should discuss her symptoms with her doctor. As you know, there is no cure for Alzheimer's but there are treatments that can lessen the symptoms and improve quality of life.

Many family doctors, GPs, internists, etc. are just not in tune with improving quality of life for dementia patients. Geriatricians, or a geriatric psychiatrist, or a behavioral neurologist, tend to be more pro-active in treating symptoms. Would it be appropriate to change doctors or add a specialist at this point?

Good luck to you both!

Hi. My mom has these same symptoms. We have an appt w/ the neurologist to see if she will try her on a med for this. I dont like to see her drugged, but at times, especially at night, when she needs to mellow out. She also has depression at times as well as anxiety. tonio999