Dad is 85, diagnosed with mild dementia. He is in adult daycare 5 days a week and with my siblings and I on weekends. He lives with my mother. My mother is 85 and unable to cope with my dad’s memory impairment. He has very little short term memory. She is angry, unhappy and difficult to deal with. It is an unhealthy environment yet my dad wants only to be with her. Recently my dad had an episode where he thought he was working and needed to call the company to advise of his retirement. My mother called this a “psychotic break” and reported to the adult daycare who prescribed Seraquel (light dosage). I googled Seraquel and saw that it is not for the elderly.
I strongly believe that my dad would benefit with a mild anti anxiety medication as all he does is worry about my mother. She has opted not to pursue on his behalf however. She has medical POA for my dad.
Does anyone have experience with Seraquel and their elderly parents? I do not know what the dosage is only that he takes a half of a pill.
Your father is not exhibiting 'psychotic' behavior by thinking he was working and had to call the company to advise them of his retirement! Lots of odd behaviors are common with dementia and don't require an immediate prescription, especially for an anti-psychotic drug such as Seroquel! That's why I say, maybe if you were to get medical POA for him, you can speak to his doctor about possible medications to ease his anxiety (on an as-needed basis). With my father, it was my MOTHER who caused his anxiety, truthfully!!! My mother takes nothing for her memory loss OR for her anxiety, but a Tramadol pain killer does help her with pain and sleeplessness at night. Her doctor is hesitant to prescribe anti anxiety medication because she's a serious fall risk, haven fallen approx. 40x in the past few years.
Best of luck.
Did they recommend that dad be seen my a mental health practitioner with prescribing rights ( like a geriatric psychiatrist or Nurse Practioner?).
Did you speak to the person who wrote the script? If not, can you get in touch and clarify why they think this is the correct medication for your dad?
It sounds like mom is also developing dementia. How often do you check on them? Does dad's POA list a successor? Hopefully, mom's POA is not Dad. Time for a thorough evaluation by an elder law attorney to update folks documents.
Back to Seroquel. You will notice that the black box warning on most prescribed medications include a statement that it is not suitable for the elderly. You need to decide if the med is improving behaviors, is there a benefit that you notice?
Dad thinking he has to call in to work is not a reason, by itself, for an antipsychotic. My guess is that there is much more going on than you are being told, by a woman with dementia symptoms. Time for someone to start keeping track of what is going on in their household.
Ativan had the completely opposite effect as intended on my mom. Finding the right meds is a trial and error process that requires patience.
My mother is 93 with mid-stage mixed dementia: paranoid, delusional, confused and hostile. Her doctor prescribed 12.5 mg nightly to help her sleep better, which consequently helps her paranoia and anxiety. The 12.5 mg is 1/2 of the smallest dose (25 mg) tablet. On this tiny dose she seems less uptight but not sedated at all.
Every patient reacts to medications differently. I'm so glad Mom's doctor prescribed the Seroquel, which at this dose has proven to be of benefit to her.
Best wishes to you on this difficult journey!
Never again, I thought about killing myself. I don't know if anyone has taken this medication but I don't think anyone, elderly or not, should ever be prescribed this drug. Seraquel. It's dangerous