My husband went for his memory check up this week and his doctor said he was giving him an A+!

He was already on 10mg of Lexapro but he had shown signs of mild sundowning again and some depression, maybe holiday related and I told the doctor this and he said it would be perfectly ok to do this. It's just 10 more mg. But as far as the Dementia testing he got an A+ such as naming as many animals he could in a certain time frame. First visit was 8, this time it was 16 ! Big change to me..He stumbled when the doc asked him what year this is and he said everything but the right combination,,,,2105, 2501, 2051, never did get it right. He drew a clock perfectly and made it 10:10....Remembered all 4 things doc told him pineapple turtle screwdriver and truck....then he talked a while and asked him to repeat the 4 things and he did. Just thought the 10extra mg Lexapro might brighten his day. He has ALWAYS has the Holiday Blues to the extreme.

I'm just curious. If the doctor thought he was doing so well -- and YOU thought he was doing well, then why did you change his medication?

I am also thinking about giving him 1mg Ativan in the morning. He has a Rx and can take as needed. Maybe helpful or not ?

The ONLY thing that changed that day was the doctor said it was ok to up his Lexapro from 10mg to 20mg, Since Monday could this have made that big of a difference in him ? He also accused me this morning of saying something in a nasty tone which I did not. Almost the way he used to be but not quite. I'm thinking about lowering the Lexapro back to 10mg and see if that changes him. It was such a small change but thinking back we cut it back from 20 to 10 because it was making him irritable. Now he seems like that again. So, in the morning I will cut back and watch him. Thank you for your advice.

People with Alzheimer's are capable at times of putting on a show for Dr.'s, friends, and family members. This "showtiming" doesn't last but for a brief period of time the person can pull it off. Could your husband have been putting on a show for the Dr. that would have earned him an "A+" from the Dr.?

People who care for loved ones with Alzheimer's will tell their families stories about their loved one's behavior stemming from the Alzheimer's and then when the family actually sees the person they're social, appropriate, and nothing appears to be out of the norm. The caregiver feels like an idiot and the family doesn't get to see what the person with Alzheimer's is really like.

Your husband's Dr. might have seen what your husband chose to show him and what you saw was the real thing. The way your husband really is. But if you continue to be concerned take him back to the Dr.