My mother is 91 in an assisted living facilty and is very depressed, crying, angry at times. I have found out that she has been on low dose of trazodone - I was not told the exact amount but it does not seem to be helping much.
Here is a link with information about Trazodone: https://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/articles/trazodone
I've taken it myself as a sleep aid (in a small dose) and absolutely hated it......I was a zombie the next morning every time I took it. Low doses of Trazodone are often prescribed as a sleep aid vs. an anti depressant.
You really need to speak to your mother's prescribing doctor to see what's going on and why she was prescribed this medication. With dementia at play, an SSRI medication can cause more harm than it cures. I saw that firsthand with my mother who is 93 with dementia and was prescribed Cymbalta. She had a TERRIBLE time with it, so I spoke with the doctor and had her taken off of it. My mother has had very good luck with Wellbutrin over the years she's taken it.
Again, when dementia is involved, oftentimes the regular PCP doctors don't even realize that certain medications can aggravate the brain instead of soothe it. That is what I have found personally ....... question everything. If you don't like how your mom is reacting to this med, get her off of it and see what happens, you know? Obviously, speak to the doctor about it but if you are the POA, you have the right to request changes and/or to stop medications. I found that out with the Cymbalta incident which went on for over 1 month and wreaked havoc in both of our lives.
I've taken it myself as a sleep aid (in a small dose) and absolutely hated it......I was a zombie the next morning every time I took it. Low doses of Trazodone are often prescribed as a sleep aid vs. an anti depressant.
You really need to speak to your mother's prescribing doctor to see what's going on and why she was prescribed this medication. With dementia at play, an SSRI medication can cause more harm than it cures. I saw that firsthand with my mother who is 93 with dementia and was prescribed Cymbalta. She had a TERRIBLE time with it, so I spoke with the doctor and had her taken off of it. My mother has had very good luck with Wellbutrin over the years she's taken it.
Again, when dementia is involved, oftentimes the regular PCP doctors don't even realize that certain medications can aggravate the brain instead of soothe it. That is what I have found personally ....... question everything. If you don't like how your mom is reacting to this med, get her off of it and see what happens, you know? Obviously, speak to the doctor about it but if you are the POA, you have the right to request changes and/or to stop medications. I found that out with the Cymbalta incident which went on for over 1 month and wreaked havoc in both of our lives.
Wishing you the best of luck