My Mom was diagnosed with moderate to severe Parkinson's bout 2.5 - 3 yrs ago. How to deal with her hallucinations?

My mother has the same problem. Nights go by when she doesn't sleep. She tries to get the babies out from under the bed. She puts all the bed clothes around her bedroom so that the little girls won't hurt themselves. She tries to put her coat on so that she can go out, catch a taxi and go to her own home because she doesn't feel as if she is in her own home. She falls over and can't get up and so it goes on. This sounds like Lewy Body dementia and this being the case, gettiing the right balance of medication is very difficult as these patients are notoriously sensitive to medication. There comes a point when antiparkinson medication can worsen hallucinations so this needs review. My mother also takes aripiprazole 2 mgs every morning. This has helped with delusions. You are correct in thinking that clonazepam is appropriate however the dose is a matter of trial and error. Sometimes she is knocked out with 1mg and at other times it appears to have no effect. So 0.5mg then another 0.5mg after 30 minutes if the first dose doesn't work. Don't worry if she oversleeps. It gives everyone a break. Melatonin 1mg early evening also helps regularize the sleep cycle. Is the antidepressant really necessary? People with Parkinson's often seem depressed but this can easily be confused with the symptoms of Parkinson's. I hope you find this helpful. It is very difficult to cope with LBD? Difficult also for the patient as they do often retain a degree of insight. My mother is now in a home becausse it became impossible for us to cope with endless sleeples nights. Important to take care of yourself because lack of sleep will take its toll on you. As you might have guessed, I am a physician.

Call 911 and have her transported to the hospital when she is out of control. This behavior is not going to get better. She needs better medications and that is best sorted out in a hospital setting.

I agree that meds may not be the answer. My Mom used to hallucinate that there were bugs crawling all over. We used to try to convince her they weren't there, but that just upset her more. Her doctor told us to go along with it, pretend we could see the bugs too, and help her get rid of them with "bug spray" (which was just a bottle of Windex). It worked. She calmed right down and immediately felt better. Maybe if you go along with your Mom's hallucination. Agree that you hear the little girl crying too, and pretend to call someone or tell her you're going out to help her? Also, we'd give my Mom a couple of Sudafeds or antihistamine each night at bedtime. They're non-addictive and they helped her sleep. Hope things get better for you.

scanner2971, isn't she on Aricept?

The best thing you can do is find a doctor who is very well experienced in handling Lewy Body Dementia.

My mom has, what I call, 'episodes' where she talks all nite and hallucinates all day. This has been going on for 3 years, at first months apart and now every week. If she isn't upset by what she's seeing? I just go along with it since that's usually easier than trying to convince her she's in la-la land. Lately she's been asking about the name of my husband...thing is, I've been divorced for several years but try and convince her of that! Nope...she's just sure that I'm married again and even saw my new hubby on TV last nite. So today I told her his name is 'Simon'...she was satisfied with that for now. So far...so good. It's just a day at a time for all of us caregivers.

I have taken care of mom for 13 years until the last 7 weeks when it just became too much to bare. My mom has depression, hallucinations, delusions, confusion and paranoia. The last six weeks have been a whirlwind from hell. She spent a total of 3-1/2 weeks in a mental hospital (2 separate visits) and now is in a rehab/nursing facility because she can no longer walk and is refusing to eat. I do not think she remembers how to walk although they are going to start rehab on Monday. She is so agitated and contrary that I just cant see that happening, she refuses to do what is ask of her. This was NOT her nature - she is totally opposite now from the lovely lady that raised me. She is still hallucinating, living in her dreams, depressed, confused, and paranoid.... so what the meds are doing I do not know. She has vascular dementia so every time she has a mini stroke it gets worse and/or changes. Mom is 92 years old and my prayer is that God has Mercy on her because this is an insidious disease that has no pat answers. All I can do is love her... and I do.

Care4Mom2, our mom just passed after a long battle with vascular dementia. Once she could no longer walk and needed a hoyer lift time was short. Her ability to swallow was compromised and appetite fell off. She lasted three and a half months in a nursing home. You have shown exceptional strength and courage to carry on for 13 years. I salute you. Godspeed.

Talk to her doctor.

Does she by any chance have a bladder infection. My mom had Parkinson Disease for 16 years. She did have bouts of hallucinations. The good ones I would just go with it. She had badder infections some times and that seemed to increase the hallucinations. Never stop to have this checked out!

Check with her Neurologist. Some of the PD medications cause this. We had to quit 2 different ones.