Most of Mom's prescription drugs for Alzheimers and heart issues "may cause drowsiness or dizziness" - and they DO! It's very hard on her.

Mom was released from hospital last week with three new powerful Rx's to stop unexplained nausea/gas and resulting disturbing behavior when she didn't understand her distress. So, four Rxs to combat the dangerous part of her disorder...that she'd sort of faint and hybernate (I could handle her gas discomfort as soon as I was aware of it)...and the three new meds all caused dizziness, drowsiness, and headache. Good grief, who is running the show over there? A phone conference with doctor got one pulled back to as needed, whenever the attacks are bad (good, cause that was also causing leg cramps probably), one med cut in quarter pill, and the other to try. Still, she sinks into a doze zone about twice a day. On other times, I discussed with her regular doc to try a few weeks with/without certain Rx, and these tests were very valuable and we changed meds around for the better, totally eliminating two of them.

There are a few things that you can do, but before you do anything on your own, you should check with your mom's doctor to ensure that there isn't a problem doing any of these things.

1) You can administer the prescriptions right before bedtime or common times when your mom might take a nap (if taking the scripts 2x daily). This way, the drowsiness doesn't interfere with normal activities.

2) You can give your mom vitamin B12 which boost energy levels. Check with the doctor first since many vitamins work differently with prescription drugs and patients. (Vitamin B12 especially could interfere with any heart related prescription/illness.

3) Have your mom eat several small meals or snacks throughout the day rather than 3 regular meals. This keeps a person's metabolism going and the body processes the food all day long rather than just having a heavy meal. A snack can be a piece of fruit or toast and juice. Usually, something a little sweet will also keep the energy level going.

4) Finally, keep your mom active. Resting, or watching television all day will not keep the mind active. Have your mom read a book, do crossword puzzles, word searches, etc... Exercising the mind keeps the mind focused and healthy as well as keeping you active (and therefore, less sleepy).

Note: Other vitamins that are being reported as getting good responses from Alzheimer's/Dementia patients are: Folic Acid, Vitamin E, and Vitamin B3 as well as the B12 mentioned earlier. But always check with your/the patient's physician before administering vitamins with prescription medication.

and Good Luck with your Mom!