She just turned 70. She is so functional on the other levels that at first she seems normal. Her health is otherwise excellent and she rarely sees her Dr. She feels that the Dr does not believe her and will not investigate her case due to a conspiracy of silence about her bugs. She feels them all over sometimes (poor thing). He gave her a prescription of risperdal but the side affect information scared her so she only took it for a couple of weeks and it made her dizzy. She is my dads caretaker and they live in their own home 2 and 1/2 hours away.
Elderly Patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with atypical antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death compared to placebo. RISPERDAL ® (risperidone) is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis.
I just took the above off the risperdal website.
mom needs a NEW DOCTOR! No wonder the side effects scared her!
Google some geriatric docs in her area and set her up with a new doc. You'll both feel better!
I will thank you. I will make a point to go with her. I am starting to get a little paranoid about medication myself. I am definately going to start reading those folded up pieces of paper in the box. What a shock!
It's nuts, isn't it? That was one of the first things I did was to change out mom's dr.
I also found the Namenda on a website and learned more about it. Mom was acting out and out of control. the Namenda helped tremendously.
Google is your friend. just type in anything you want to know about and start sifting through it all.
You could research a few drugs based on your mom's needs and discuss them with the NEW dr. Only an idiot dr is against new information and the one you choose will look forward to your input!
My dad takes namenda and seroquelXR and it really helps with the alzheimers and anxiety. If you cant get her to take it buy a pill crusher and put it in the first bite if you can. It doesn't knock him out but it keeps him from lashing out.
Mom is on low dose Ativan and haven't noticed any side effects. A low dose of Seroquel, less that 25 meg day, had side effects starting after pehaps ten days: stiffening of whole body like Rigor Mortis, facial contortions, tongue sticking out, choking, and Seroquel anger. It also is NOT recommended for elderly dementia. After staying with her normal dose of Zoloft for a week, we went on low dose of Ativan, and that works very well.
We tried Namenda for five days or so, and though I noticed her walking improved and she was starting to use things like light switches again, she mostly wanted to nap and had fitful twilight sleep that was delusional. So, back to Zoloft and Ativan.
I know these side effects go all over the map with people. Because the physical side effects were so severe with Seroquel, they sparked their own paranoid delusions, so heck with that.
Oh, Mom had delusions about stuffed toys being her babies, or a cute baby greeting card...that is her child. Ok, go along with it. But then she crosses the line where she's paranoid about them. Okay, pretend is over. I drag out reality and have her come present. "Mom, come into the room and be present. Look around and be part of reality. These are not real living babies, they are toys. They are cute, they are adorable. But they are not alive. Look, they all have tags, and they are made of fabric.That's the good news, Mom, is that they are toys you can love, and they cannot die cause they are not alive. And the good news is that your fear is only a thought, so you can change your mind. So come back out of your head and look around..." and so forth...
I mean, why not try it? So far, three or four times I've had to use it, it has worked. She stopped clutching her fists to her eyes, relaxed, looked at her toys, and was fine.
I see it like sitting for someone who is on a bummer, a bad drug trip. I assume this will not always work, but so far I'm the only one to shoot up a flare for "reality." Alzheimer's 0, Reality 3.
Definitely change her doctor and go with her! Meds can do all kinds of things to a person's mind and body. If she does have the beginnings of dementia, it may take time to find the right drug to help her. Some drugs can cause the "bug" reaction, but usually from withdrawal. She could be having this problem because of stopping a med that she was on. Tell her new doctor about this and ask if stopping any of her meds would cause her to see bugs. Mom was in the hospital last year and they withheld her Parkinsons meds and she saw bugs for 4 or 5 days.
I am also wondering what to do. My mother lives alone, is 92, still driving and doing her own taxes,paying bills, etc. and thinks her family is somehow getting into her house - even at night while she is sleeping and taking and/or bringing things. If something is missing and then, she finds it, she claims we have returned it, all under the conspiracy of making her think she is losing her mind so we can have control of her money.... I live in another state, so my sister and niece get the blame. I often just listen.
ok, update on the Ativan. After a few weeks, Mom started having these zombie DeadZone episodes...you know when in a horror movie, someone normal looks at you with this endless steady stare and says with a low slow voice..."Who Are You People Any Way..." and goes onto accuse you of trying to kill her. When not a half hour before she is begging for me to do just that. Or to "just let me go!" Good grief...the INSTINCT is she is still paranoid, bring on more ATIVAN. But it WAS the Ativan talking, not mom. The Ativan apparently also caused urine retention, which if not figured out means lifetime of catheterization...and in mom's case total sedation. When she was so painful with the urine stuck, and not being able to poop, I finally called the ambulance, throwing myself on the couch wailing. This was it...nursing home, all because of pee.
It was beyond the scope of my medical know how...I did not know it was the Ativan causing this actually. At the ER, by the time I got there after the ambulance, they were torturing Mom and I threw a fit. I got them to figure how to sedate her, using a full day's dose of Ativan IV...whee...she didn't care one swat about anything after that. She was Rx'd for uti, which turned out to be false positive..but meanwhile immediate relief...and my RN niece who used to work in the geriatric psych ward said, "Oh, ativan and that class of drug used to cause urinary retention often with my patients."
WHAT...I find out from my niece about there. Where was everyone at the hospital on this subject? I took the chance and took Mom off Ativan, swearing to use just for severe paranoia...and guess what...some muscle cramps withdrawal for four days maybe...and then no delusions...not the ones she had pre-Seroquel. not the paranoia...then I took her off Zoloft and her functioning went up a level. she's reading National Enquirer instead of baby picture books.
Look up Beers Criteria for guide about how to do trials of weaning your senior off drugs.
If I were old and frail and knowing I was losing track of things, I'd be darned paranoid about my money as well. I hae had enough experience with sisters and the Public Guardian's office (supposedly protecting her assets) to see how the money grab works...
Hi. My dad is 91 and we just lost my mom a year ago. My dad has always been somewhat paranoid but recently he believes close friends are trying to harm him and he also beleives people are following him in vans. The other night he left his apartment in his pajamas to ask a neighbor for a number to a car service. He locked himself out of the house and thankfully the neighbor called me to let me know. My dad and I live in the same building and I try to spend as much time as possible with him. I took him to a new doctor who gave him a series of tests to check for brain damage and mini strokes. All tests were negative. The doctor did say that he has thyroid disease which could be causing the problem with paranoia. My dad has been on the thyroid medicine for about a week. Can hypothyroid be the cause and if so how long does it take for the meds to work? Thank you.
i hope someone can shed some light on/give me somewhere to start on my "situation"....my mother is 67 years old....functions normally in every way, shape, and form..except.....she is having quite the detailed and intricate delusions and paranoia. she thinks that a family from her home country (Scotland) has all moved to her town in Michigan....and that they are harassing her - following her, shining spotlights in her apartment window, and even using a top secret military electronic harassment machine on her. after almost a year of me not arguing but not feeding the delusions, i finally had the "talk" with her. i did it in a very loving way and am trying to force the issue to tell her M.D. about all of this and check for any physical anomaly. she has pretty much ditched her entire family (maybe because i seem to have a bit more patience)....but i am getting little more than lip service about her getting checked out. as i said, she is completely competent and normal in every other way....but the situation is progressively getting worse. she has taken to making a 2 + page list of license numbers that belong to "that" family...following her etc. if it helps, my grandmother (her mother) had alzheimer's. i am her oldest son and i am the only family left that she actually talks to. help? i just don't know where/how to proceed with her.
My Mother is 94 and has all kinds of delusions but not all the time. She can not walk by herself but gets out of bed every night and falls down, splitting her skin and getting infections, she won't take her antibiotics and could lose her leg. How do you get them to take medications when they think you are over drugging them or have already taken their meds? She is not on any medications for dementia but definitely has it. I too am at my wits in over her.
As for not taking meds I've been the full route of ways to get them in my mother and we've reached the point she won't take them. Now we crush them up and put in a small glass of Ensure (she loves) and she drinks it. Sometimes in pudding or apple sauce will work too. I've done everything literally but stand on my head. A psych dr told me that her age group (she's 87) never took many meds growing up and are often leery of medicine. In thinking abt this, I realized her parents and siblings didn't take meds, except maybe an aspirin even my grandfather who had bone cancer!
my mother in law has had these problems in the past . most of the drugs they tried just really didnt work. now she gets a shot that is meant for schizophrenia once every three weeks and OMG it has helped her immensly . she is like her old self again . its very expensive. but i dont care how we have to pay for it she is going to keep taking it. it is invegra ex its an extended tabelt right now to help untill the shot gets completely in her system. but the shot is once ever 3 weeks so it wont run out of thier system. like i said its very expensive but there are cupons on the web site you can use up to 4 of them a year.
My mother is not on any drugs, she is 85, my father 87. She has decided she loathes him, always has (not the case) and I, her daughter am a filthy bitch (I dated a married man once, thirty years ago!). She suspects I am trying to get her out of her house so that I can have it. She mocks my poor confused father who is becoming incontinent and is permanently confused. She even laughed at him the other day because his mother committed suicide when he was young and joked about the method. Other than that she can function fine; she shops, cooks and (sort of) cleans. She won't even answer the door if she knows it is me now. Dad has to let me in and she goes out of the room.Help!!
FamHaynes, Tell the IDIOT MD to refer her to a good neurologist and if he won't, tell him you are calling the AMA. Do NOT let her drive another inch, remove the vehicle and keys. Tell her to take the meds or end up in a place where all the doors are locked. If she is delusional, tell her "Now that's the Dementia talking". Be honest, don't pretend to ignore it, and tell her she NEEDS to take the medication to think more clearly.
Roobles, your mother is not on any drugs ... and perhaps she should be! In any event she should be evaluated. Her behavior is not normal. How long has this been going on? Could she have a UTI? This is very concerning for your father's sake. I hope you can somehow get her to a geriatrician.
Roobles, is your father safe in your mother's care? I assume she's acting crazy, not that she's an evil person.
Talk to her doctor if she has one, and tell him/her what the situation is. The doctor maybe can't tell you anything because of HIPPA, but he or she can listen. Also go through your local area agency on aging to get some advice. She does need treatment or at least supervision, and she won't accept it from you. Good luck and God bless you.
My mother-in-law is 72. She seems pretty healthy, but her behavior is starting to worsen. She hides things because hides simple items like lotion because she thinks someone may want to steal it. She recently lost a receipt and thought someone stole it and said, "There are weird things going on around here." In addition she has become very mean, making faces at her granddaughter's 10-year-old friend, and openly showing hostility to the little girl. Not sure if these are some of the signs of dementia.
Martin76, yes, those could be signs of dementia. Or there could be something else going on that is causing these symptoms. I hope you can get MIL to have a thorough medical checkup. I suggest that you not tell her that you are worried about her behavior, but rather just that it is time for a routine physical. Let the doctor know ahead of time what symptoms you are observing.
My mother is fixated on my 90 yr old father having a girlfriend. She searches constantly for evidence. He keeps a booklet with his computer passwords listed and she goes through this book numerous times a day questioning his passwords. She says they are codes for his "girlfriend" She hounds him relentlessly about his emails and won't let him answer the phone or leave the house without her. When he goes to the doctor she goes into the examining room with him to prevent him from discussing her with the doctor. He is a prisoner in his own home. He has asked me to go through all of his emails and phone records with her but every time I prove her worries false she finds something else as evidence of his infidelity. He is frustrated and tired and cannot escape . He took her to a geriatric psychiatrist who is trying medications with her but we aren't seeing any change in her behavior. She wakes him up to interrogate about his "girlfriend". She has always been a selfish and demanding person but this is over the top for even her. We are worried sick about my Dad . They retired in Florida and we have gone to considerable expense to fly there and stay with them. We have convinced him to move closer to family so that we can help out on a regular basis,but she doesn't want to move and lose control of him . He adores her an d wants to keep her happy so getting him to take drastic measures is difficult. Any advice would be welcome!
WiseChoices, Keep working with the geriatric psychiatrist. Let the doctor know that so far the meds have not been effective. (Even if the doctor can't talk to you about mother, he/she can listen to you.) You might also send a brief letter to your father's physician explaining what is going on.
Would Mother be more willing to move if it were expressed as "removing yourselves from any friends you might find bothersome"?
Dad has chosen to put up with Mom's demanding and selfish ways all these years. Even though this is over the top, he may not be willing to make changes now. I understand how worried you are for him, but it will be hard to do anything for him if he won't help himself.
My mom sees her husband as her daddy at evenings. She keeps thinking that we on the road a lot and partying even though we are at home. Also, Mom has trouble on the time of the day. Mom seems better during the day (if she is not sleeping during the day). She's taking Namenda and it seems to work so far.
I live in Texas my mom is along in Flordia I cry almost daily because of the sadness I feel. I fly to Flordia when ever she gets put in the hospital just lately about a month ago she had a heart attack. Befor than a stroke. I try my best to do what ever I can for her to make life easy for her. I pay for what ever she needs so she doesn't have to worry. I ordered life line for her she fought me all the way. That was returned this morning because she received the bill. I had paid for it already buy she yelled at me and said she cant afford it. I explained I was paying for it but that didn't matter. She told me she lost 6 pounds so because I know she is not eating right I went on sight and orderd food from the Magic Kitchen to be deliverd she shot me down on that as well. She told my daughter in law she dought I paid for that. I have always paid for everything my mother needed to include her hospital bills. She messes with her medicine and says she didn't do it. Early this morning I get a call of being accused of creating bills for her. I cried because I don't understand what am I doing wrong. She started crying and I just say I wont do anything anymore if it upsets her. So my daughter in law went over and sent the life line back and as for the food I guess she will throw it away or give it to my nephew. I am sad because I'am just trying to help mom and make sure she is eating and is safe in her home. She does not want to move to texas so she asked me not to ask again.
my mom has vascular dementia, diabetes, parkinsons, for the last month she has not known who I was, and had never been physically abusive, emotionally yes, but this past weekend, she got physically abusive, and did not trust me, nor my brother , nor her grandson, she also started talking about sex, and when at the hospital talked bad about the security guard there, my mom has a whole different personality , all with in a month, the dr at hospital said she was just starting with a UTI, I'm my mothers care giver 24/7. she tells me that she has not eaten , when she has and I know that is the dementia, talking, every says oh just let it go, but when your mom is swinging a hard covered book at you and kicking you when all your doing is trying to take care of her, is very hard to let go, they prescribe her antibiotic for the UTI, and atavan for her anxiety, we took my mom of all of her meds awhile back because of her condition, and she wants just to be comfortable, so calling her doctor, to see what they say,.
About a year ago, my mother-in-law started accusing her daughter of stealing things from her. My M-I-L lives alone and just turned 90. The accusations have now escalated to the point of yelling and screaming at her daughter and the daughter has become stressed and fearful. Threats of having the daughter arrested for stealing have been inferred. I know that there are issues that may cause confusions in older adults, i.e., urinary infections, medication reactions, etc. But this seems to me like full blown dementia related paranoia. How can the daughter get her Mother to the doctors for testing without receiving another paranoia accusation that the daughter is trying to put her away so she can take over the house? Haven't seen anything with ideas on how to get a paranoid delusional elder parent to agree to go for testing? Any ideas/suggestions would be most welcomed.
About a year ago, my mother-in-law started accusing her daughter of stealing things from her. My M-I-L lives alone and just turned 90. The accusations have now escalated to the point of yelling and screaming at her daughter and the daughter has become stressed and fearful. Threats of having the daughter arrested for stealing have been inferred. I know that there are issues that may cause confusions in older adults, i.e., urinary infections, medication reactions, etc. But this seems to me like full blown dementia related paranoia. How can the daughter get her Mother to the doctors for testing without receiving another paranoia accusation that the daughter is trying to put her away so she can take over the house? Haven't seen anything with ideas on how to get a paranoid delusional elder parent to agree to go for testing? Any ideas/suggestions would be most welcomed.
Sadly, you may have to call 911. In some states there is a mechanism by which you can force a psychiatric evaluation. Call aps and your local Area Agency on Aging to discuss the options.
how old is she? Dementia? Why won't she take her meds? They work! Is she alone?
you might have to 'slip her a mickey' with her prescribed meds...
I think that Namenda comes in a liquid form.
let us know and hang in there,
Bobbie
Elderly Patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with atypical antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death compared to placebo. RISPERDAL ® (risperidone) is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis.
I just took the above off the risperdal website.
mom needs a NEW DOCTOR! No wonder the side effects scared her!
Google some geriatric docs in her area and set her up with a new doc. You'll both feel better!
hang in there and you can do this!
good luck
Bobbie
I also found the Namenda on a website and learned more about it. Mom was acting out and out of control. the Namenda helped tremendously.
Google is your friend. just type in anything you want to know about and start sifting through it all.
You could research a few drugs based on your mom's needs and discuss them with the NEW dr. Only an idiot dr is against new information and the one you choose will look forward to your input!
you gonna be fine
Bobbie
We tried Namenda for five days or so, and though I noticed her walking improved and she was starting to use things like light switches again, she mostly wanted to nap and had fitful twilight sleep that was delusional. So, back to Zoloft and Ativan.
I know these side effects go all over the map with people. Because the physical side effects were so severe with Seroquel, they sparked their own paranoid delusions, so heck with that.
Oh, Mom had delusions about stuffed toys being her babies, or a cute baby greeting card...that is her child. Ok, go along with it. But then she crosses the line where she's paranoid about them. Okay, pretend is over. I drag out reality and have her come present. "Mom, come into the room and be present. Look around and be part of reality. These are not real living babies, they are toys. They are cute, they are adorable. But they are not alive. Look, they all have tags, and they are made of fabric.That's the good news, Mom, is that they are toys you can love, and they cannot die cause they are not alive. And the good news is that your fear is only a thought, so you can change your mind. So come back out of your head and look around..." and so forth...
I mean, why not try it? So far, three or four times I've had to use it, it has worked. She stopped clutching her fists to her eyes, relaxed, looked at her toys, and was fine.
I see it like sitting for someone who is on a bummer, a bad drug trip. I assume this will not always work, but so far I'm the only one to shoot up a flare for "reality." Alzheimer's 0, Reality 3.
Tell her new doctor about this and ask if stopping any of her meds would cause her to see bugs. Mom was in the hospital last year and they withheld her Parkinsons meds and she saw bugs for 4 or 5 days.
It was beyond the scope of my medical know how...I did not know it was the Ativan causing this actually. At the ER, by the time I got there after the ambulance, they were torturing Mom and I threw a fit. I got them to figure how to sedate her, using a full day's dose of Ativan IV...whee...she didn't care one swat about anything after that. She was Rx'd for uti, which turned out to be false positive..but meanwhile immediate relief...and my RN niece who used to work in the geriatric psych ward said, "Oh, ativan and that class of drug used to cause urinary retention often with my patients."
WHAT...I find out from my niece about there. Where was everyone at the hospital on this subject? I took the chance and took Mom off Ativan, swearing to use just for severe paranoia...and guess what...some muscle cramps withdrawal for four days maybe...and then no delusions...not the ones she had pre-Seroquel. not the paranoia...then I took her off Zoloft and her functioning went up a level. she's reading National Enquirer instead of baby picture books.
Look up Beers Criteria for guide about how to do trials of weaning your senior off drugs.
If I were old and frail and knowing I was losing track of things, I'd be darned paranoid about my money as well. I hae had enough experience with sisters and the Public Guardian's office (supposedly protecting her assets) to see how the money grab works...
Talk to her doctor if she has one, and tell him/her what the situation is. The doctor maybe can't tell you anything because of HIPPA, but he or she can listen. Also go through your local area agency on aging to get some advice. She does need treatment or at least supervision, and she won't accept it from you. Good luck and God bless you.
Would Mother be more willing to move if it were expressed as "removing yourselves from any friends you might find bothersome"?
Dad has chosen to put up with Mom's demanding and selfish ways all these years. Even though this is over the top, he may not be willing to make changes now. I understand how worried you are for him, but it will be hard to do anything for him if he won't help himself.