Antidepressants can be a BLESSING in the elderly with dementia.

A friend who began antidepressant late in life wished her late husband had been able to know her as she was with the help of the meds! Her daughter wished she had been on them as she was being reared.

Okay. Thanks for your advice. I am waiting for the doctor to call me back now. Will let you know what he says.

Social l needs to join the real world. There are many many ADHD kids who are now able to function and get good educations with the help of medication...which often is only needed for a short time...they are in no way in a "drugged state." Get your head out of the sand.

Noles,I saw on TV taking OTC sleeping aides more than 2x a week increased your chances of heart attack or stroke. I would call and ask the doctor to make sure its ok to do that, antidepressants also help people sleep at night and are safer I've been told. Just saying ok?......

Just a suggestion...my husband takes Tylenol PM every night because of spinal stenosis. When he lies flat, he goes numb in his hips and feels like he is on fire. This helps him so much and it is great knowing there are no side effects. He falls asleep quickly and stays asleep all night. If you have to go to the bathroom, you will wake up so it is not like you are knocked out. Best find in the world for s.

Ignorance is not always bliss ...

AlisaCW, yes menohardy logged in under a different name. Given her earlier posts on this discussion she probably got reported multiple times and got kicked out of the discussion.

Social1, did you change your name from menohardy?!? And your picture?!

Hi Paula, My dad did wean himself off of the Prozac. We all tried to tell him not to do that without dr's advice, but he did it anyway. He does take Tylenol PM once in awhile and that seems to help him some. We live in a noisy neighborhood (traffic and such) and if he isn't sleeping soundly noises sometimes wake him and startle him so he does want to take something to help him sleep. The tv and radio would be a great idea but sometimes he thinks he hears voices. Just wish he could take something for his anxiety and mood for his sake as well as we who are around him. I'll ask his dr. about Citralopram. Thanks.

I also would not suggest things like Ambian (sleeping pills), they can really give you weird dreams. Does he sleep with a TV or radio on? Perhaps some soothing old time music.

You should never stop taking any meds or antidepressants cold turkey, if anything, he should be weened off them, especially if he has been on them for a while, considering his age too. Speak to his Doctor. My husband takes 10mg of Citralopram, perhaps this is a good alternative, ask about the nightmares, etc., and if you can, speak with your father about abrutly stopping these meds, could cause more problems.

My 88 Year old father would take Prozac off and on for years. His dr. originally prescribed a low dosage for him about 12 years ago for a diagnosis of depression. When he was on it we all noticed the difference. He was much nicer to everyone and easier to get along with. Then he decided it made him feel sluggish and tired and he went off of it. A few weeks later he would decide to take it again. We, his family could certainly tell the difference when he would go off of it. He did this off and on thing many times over a few years. Finally he said that the Prozac gave him nightmare so he stopped taking it for good.

About a year ago we convinced him to give Xanax a try (at his dr's suggestion for anxiety). He did. It was the lowest dose possible. Again it made a noticeable improvement in his mood; however, he began having very vivid dreams (one of the side effects). The dreams to him were nightmares and he wondered if the Xanax was the cause, when he didn't take the pill he wouldn't have a nightmare,so he stopped taking those as well.

He continues to have extreme anxiety and I am at a loss because he refuses to try any other meds that may help for his fear of nightmares. They really did help except for the bad dreams side effect. Any others experience this with their elderly parent?

Not necessarily, speak to the Doctor and be sure you ask them about dependency/addiction. My 89 year old Aunt got hooked on Lorazapam (which is like Valium), she now takes Xanax, which can be addictive too, but not as bad as some of the others. It's amazing how many doctors will dole this stuff out to very elderly without the consideration of the affects of it over the long haul. My aunt became very dependent and had to be hospitalized. She had a heart attack and that's when they figured out she was hooked on the Lorazapam, she was "weened" off and now she's much better.

The Mayo Clinic has a good answer about addiction and withdrawal from antidepressants. You can also look up answers from other reliable sources. Basically, I think the answer is that antidepresants aren't addictng in the way that nicotine is, but that you can experience withdrawal symptoms from some of them if you do not stop taking them correctly.

Are the antidepressants addictive?

Yakpaz, if by temporary you mean a few weeks, I wouldn't bother. It can take that long for some antidepressants to be fully effective. But once you are taking them you can stop taking them if you choose to. As Reverseroles says, you should go off them as directed by the doctor you got them from ... some do require tapering off. As I mentioned, I've taken antidepressants in the past and did not have any trouble dropping them when I was ready. For some situations they are expected to be used for a limited time. In my husband's case, since he had a head injury, he was expected to need them the rest of his life. There are lots and lots of difference reasons to take antidepressants, lots of different antidepressants for a doctor to choose from, and lots of different ways and lengths of time to take them. It is important to take as directed. Bring up all your questions, including risk of addiction, to your doctor.

I appreciate all the above comments and respect both sides of the tug of war regarding the benefits/reppicussions of antidepressants. I am considering them for my mom and please G-d will discuss them with our family doctor. One question I have which has not been addressed in this forum is dependency/addiction. I want to know if antidepressants can be used as a temporary/short term measure--or is it true that once you begin you are hooked?

It is interesting to hear of others experiences in dealing with their loved ones and in their opinions. The being said however, I plan on leaving this thread solely due menohardy. Since her first post in this discussion she has been confrontational, condescending and downright rude. While I don't always agree with some of the posts on this site, I respect that others have a right to their opinion. However, that respect needs to go both ways.

" Psychiatrists are one degree above a PHD Psychologist and two degrees below a Neurologist."

Laughing my butt off.

Anyone who would like a clear understanding of Alzheimers simply go to the Fisher Center for Alzheimers Research Center Foundation. They have alot of good information on everything from beginning to end and even gives you examples on how to Communicate with someone who has alzheimers. They will tell you what doctors you need such as Neurologists, Geriatric physicians specializing in alzheimers, Psychologists specializing in Alzheimers and NeuroPsychiatrists specializing in Alzheimers. I used them and they brought my dad out of a vegetative state to good behavior, comunication, a fantastic attitude without anti depressants that a Psychiatrist prescribed without consulting all these other doctors. They have financial help, work shops, study programs that are free, cognitive awareness and behavior programs. Whats more this foundation took dad in their program and each specialist knew what the other was doing-they had a plan, in other words.

Furthermore on average a Neurologist must put in 12 years of Medical and Psychiatric practice before he can practice solely as a Neurologist while a Psychiatrist can practice in 5 to 8 and that includes 2 years residency. A neurologist is a Board Certified M.D. Psychologist, Psychiatrist and a Diplomat In NeuroPsychiatric Medicine. Neurologists do not counsel and prescribe which is all Psychiatrists do. Psychiatrists are one degree above a PHD Psychologist and two degrees below a Neurologist.

It would seem that you are more interested in confrontation but a Neurologist must pass the American Board Of Psychiatric Medicine and Neurology ;in addition to 2 years of Adult or Adolescent Psychiatric Practice. A Psychiatrist can only refer a Patient suspected of AD to a Neurologist. A Neurologist trained in Psychiatry can diagnose and treat someone with Ad-Psychiatry and Neurology are symbiotic but the Neurologist has both degrees where as the Psychiatrist has only the one. If he has both he would be a Neurologist

You are very badly misinformed, menohardy, about something that is extremely easy to look up. Are you making this stuff up, or misinterpretting things you take out of context?

Please look up the educational requirements for a Neurologist and a Psychiatrist.

Read what the ABPM has to say about Neurologists and Psychiatrists Jeannegibbs

Just for the record Neurologists are Neurologist who went farther than Psychiatrists in Education to become Neurologists but they can practice psychiatry and use it as a tool in their medicine bag-a Psychiatrist cannot practice Neurology. To call a Neurologist a psychiatrist is an insult to the Neurologist because they have more years of education-so technically you are correct. But all Neurologists are licensed in Psychiatry in their stage to practice Neurology.

Neurologists are above Psychiatrists but have taken the same educational requirements to be licensed as a Psychiatrist-Neurologists are Neurologists and Psychiatrists but Neurologists could and do practice Psychiatry all the time where as a Psychiatrist cannot practice Neurology.

Just for the record, Neurologists are NOT Psychiatrists with further education.

@menohardy. I just wanted to add to your post that I work with children in our school system as an aide to children who have learning and/or behavioral problems. Medication can be a godsend for those kids who have trouble focusing and learning. I will note though that sometimes the meds need to be tweaked to get the dosage right etc. There is so much more that we know now about ADD and ADHD and from my experience meds. help those kids who need it. If a kid is a zombie from medication then it isn't the right dosage or medication. Also, regarding your comment, "Yes, there are some who have to be put on anti-depressants but 9 out of 10 are non-responsive and the doctor wil prescribe a different kind or combinations of drugs until they turn our loved ones into dependent zombies." Just from my personal experience of talking with many women my age (49) and from myself being on Lexapro I have not found any woman that I have talked to say that antidepressants did not work for her. It seems like every woman around my age has gone or is going through hormone hell and antidepressants have been a lifesaver! We are not zombies either. We are moms, often also taking care of aging parents and we are being our productive happy selves, calmly carrying on.

From the comments I read, it seems clear that there still is (and probably always will be) two camps when it comes to medication issues. ANY substance can be abused but it can also be lifesaving. Food when it is abused can make a person morbidly obese but without it we would starve. Same with alcohol and marijuana. Some choose to run to the doctor for a prescription for every little ailment. Others use medication the way it was intended, to help a medical problem and in many cases make life more livable and enjoyable. I don't think that antidepressants being used in Alzheimers and Dementia patients are being abused. I think that their caregivers are looking for a way to help them be comfortable and happier in their twilight years.

Some drugs lose their effectiveness over time; some do not. My husband has been taking the same drug for a sleep disorder for more than a quarter of a century, and he is still on exactly the same dose. And we know it is still effective and that he still needs it, because if he skips a night he has a problem that night, if he takes it the next night he is fine.

Some drugs need to be built up slowing and weaned off gradually; other can be stopped cold turkey.

If you have to take drugs (and don't we all wish we didn't?) it is important to take them under the watchful eye of a professional who knows what he or she is doing. And, of course, it is important to keep that professional informed of the results and any changes.