There are many good suggestions here. I'd suggest treating the GERD as a separate issue. Ambien has many possible side effects even for healthy people. The idea that it would be good for someone with Alzheimer's should be discussed with a doctor who understands Alzheimer's well. It doesn't sound like a good idea to me, as a layman, however.
There are some age old calming remedies that help people relax (such as chamomile) that could be tried, but even then you might want to confer with the doctor.
Sadly, getting up many times a night is common with AD even without complicating factors such as GERD.
My mother was recently given Ambien and she was like a crazed zombie the entire next day. My daughter is a Pharmacist and she said seniors should not have Ambien for this very reason.
If you can control the GERD you may not need the Ambien at all. GERD wakes the patient up and they seek relief. GERD needs smaller, more frequent meals. For example, a man who eats dinner at 6PM then fasts until 10AM the next morning, (fasting for 16 hours) has more discomfort. Adding Ambien so he won't wake up is counterproductive.
please do not try to treat the gerd with ompetrazole or a prescription. That only suppresses the hydrochric acid thst we need for digestion. If someone has this condition look to a holistic practitioner. A change in diet and L Gultamine cured me in no time at all. This gives you the hydrochloric acid you need for digestion. It's part of leaky gut syndrome
Ok...not sure from your question just what the connection is with GERD and Ambien as one has nothing to do with the other. As someone who has GERD, I do not know why Ambien would be given. You've left something out for me to understand. GERD is treated via diet, raising the head of the bed, not eating close to bed time, and medications. A sleep aid and GERD symptoms are exclusive of each other. Is the person being treated for the GERD symptoms otherwise??
I have GERD and I found plain old fashioned Tums worked for me. I prefer the "Smoothie" tasting Tums.
As for Ambien, my sig other takes that for sleep issues, wish he wouldn't. I had to call 911 twice due to falls and me not able to wake him up after the fall. It was pretty scary. One time he awoke and wondered why the EMT's were in our living room, and he was combative right after that. But we got him to the ER, as the EMT made an excuse that his heart rate didn't look right, so sig other didn't argue with that.
I wouldn't give an Alzheimer's patient suffering from GERD any kind of sleeping medication. What if the patient is too groggy and has to throw up for some other reason? They could choke on their own vomit and die. I was treated for GERD once with Protonix, small meals during the day and nothing before bedtime, head of the bed raised, etc. The side effects of Protonix was awful and I would NEVER take that drug again regardless of what I was suffering from. I had been on it for about 4 months when I noticed that I was having more frequent bowel movements than usual. This was before I retired and I was having these problems while at work. I went from once a day to 4-6 times a day by month 5 and then after being on it for about 10 months, I was running to the BR on the average of 8-12 times a day. I ruined countless pairs of underwear. I asked the doctor several times what was going on and he said (stupidly) that Protonix wasn't causing the problem and I must have some other issue going on and I needed to stay on the med. By this time, I was exhausted, worn down from losing so much fluids that I decided to stop the med to see if it was, in fact, the medication. It was. It took several days after taking my last dose that I was running less and less to the BR. It took awhile for the meds to get out of my system completely but once I did, I went back to normal BR once a day. I researched my drug guide book and it took reading a PDR to find out in very small print that Protonix was guilty of causing problems like I described. I wasted almost a year of my life going thru something I didn't have to do and I decided to treat myself. I started drinking about 40-60 oz of cold water a day, kept the head of my bed raised about 15 degrees and ate bland food like malt-o-meal, cream of wheat, etc. for months and my GERD went away. I haven't had any problems since then. My doctor was irritated with me for "going against medical advice" but I didn't care. I decided to change doctors after that because he wasn't listening to me. As for Ambien, it is a strong drug and in my own opinion, doesn't need to be given to seniors and/or Alzheimer's patients because of the fuzzy thinking, risk of falling, and a drugged feeling. Fix the patient Chamomile tea to help them sleep. A person usually sleeps according to what exertion they have put out during the day. If they work out, they will sleep more, if they work at a job, they are more tired and will usually sleep better. If they don't do much during the day, they don't need 8-10 hrs of sleep. They'll wake up in 4-5 hrs ready to get up. That doesn't mean there is something wrong with them and need meds. They've just slept all they needed. With elderly or dementia patients, always start out with OTC methods first. The doctor can suggest other drugs if OTC doesn't work. Good luck.
I think you're going to want to learn about what causes Gerd. I went through all of this myself, and I tested positive for H. pylori. I was treated and I'm still dealing with the aftermath since I must now undergo diet changes. H. pylori actually thrives on sugar or anything such as carbs or starches that convert to sugar. Sugar feeds H. pylori, which keeps the problems going and even worsening. If anything sounds familiar, definitely see your healthcare professional immediately, and definitely mention you suspect H. pylori. All too often doctors miss it or even misdiagnose it. I don't understand this one so many people have it, many of them don't even know it, and maybe they don't even recognize it so it's not caught and treated sooner. This page will explain everything you need to know. Again, I went through the same exact thing and got treatment because I tested positive for H. pylori
There are some age old calming remedies that help people relax (such as chamomile) that could be tried, but even then you might want to confer with the doctor.
Sadly, getting up many times a night is common with AD even without complicating factors such as GERD.
Take care,
Carol
Adding Ambien so he won't wake up is counterproductive.
As for Ambien, my sig other takes that for sleep issues, wish he wouldn't. I had to call 911 twice due to falls and me not able to wake him up after the fall. It was pretty scary. One time he awoke and wondered why the EMT's were in our living room, and he was combative right after that. But we got him to the ER, as the EMT made an excuse that his heart rate didn't look right, so sig other didn't argue with that.
I think you're going to want to learn about what causes Gerd. I went through all of this myself, and I tested positive for H. pylori. I was treated and I'm still dealing with the aftermath since I must now undergo diet changes. H. pylori actually thrives on sugar or anything such as carbs or starches that convert to sugar. Sugar feeds H. pylori, which keeps the problems going and even worsening. If anything sounds familiar, definitely see your healthcare professional immediately, and definitely mention you suspect H. pylori. All too often doctors miss it or even misdiagnose it. I don't understand this one so many people have it, many of them don't even know it, and maybe they don't even recognize it so it's not caught and treated sooner. This page will explain everything you need to know. Again, I went through the same exact thing and got treatment because I tested positive for H. pylori
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