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My mother is 94 years old and up all night. The doctor prescribed taking depacoate four times a day and 3mg of Lunesta at night. She sleeps for an hour and is awake the rest of time very confused. I am and my wits end. I had her in a nursing home (where she didn't sleep either) and I wanted to try and take her home. If I don't get relief soon, she will have to go back to the nursing home. Can someone please tell me what medicine, etc. that she can take to make her sleep at night. Thank you, Andrea

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I understand that some people find drinking warm milk soothing and relaxing before bedtime. Someone who is up and down all night, not sleeping more than an hour at a time, is beyond a warm cup of milk, I'm afraid. (And those of us who gag at the thought of warm milk wouldn't find it very soothing, I think.. A scoop of ice cream now, hmm, that might be appealing.)

Certainly, start simple and only get more aggressive if the simpler solutions don't work. That is good practice for most things that are out of whack in our bodies. I'm glad that your mother responds well to warm milk. You are very lucky.
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I prefer to start with the simplest solution. Mom responds well to warm milk or hot chocolate right before bedtime. If she feels "jittery" I have her take an OTC remedy like iburprofen or Excedrin PM.
I am not a fan of heavy duty sedatives for seniors...it just seems to be too harsh on their systems.
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Hi Andrea, I agree with all of the above. When my Mother was in the first care home 2 years ago, she was on Seroquel and Ambien at night--BIG NO-NO! No Zolpidem tartrate (ambien) with Seroquel!
My Mother is also 94 with dementia and a naturally irritable personality. We quit the Ambien, give her 100 mg Seroquel about a half hour before bedtime, and it makes her very drowsy and she sleeps about 8 hours. You'll take it, right?!
Remember their "clocks" get screwed up when they are that old/have dementia. Keep her active as possible during the day and don;t let her take a nap, exposed to plenty of light; slow the stimulation down at dinner and after. Keep the drug situation as simple as possible, meaning, fewer most effective for her individual needs. It took me about 2 months of solidly working with the meds and I was a Zombie and a half from 1 1/2 hours of sleep, then awake, and repeat that about 5 times a night. Not good for the caregiver. See a geriatric psychiatrist for best results. All the Best. Christina
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Sleeping through the night is an absolute essential for at-home care. Especially if the loved one is confused when she gets up and can't be trusted to simply get up, go to the bathroom, and go back to bed. If the caregiver has to get up too, that simply cannot go on very long. Sleep-deprived zombies do not make safe caregivers!

There is a huge long list of sleep aids, both prescription and OTC. Probably most of them would not be suitable for your mother. And it sounds like what she is taking now may not be suitable. But that doesn't mean than nothing will work. Get back with the doctor. As Vikki suggests, if that doctor is stumped, try a geriatrician, or a doctor who specializes in whatever condition your mother has that makes her need caregiving. If she has dementia her needs may be different than if she has copd, etc. Impress on the doctor how critical to her well-being it is to resolve this problem. It may make the difference between whether you can keep her at home or she will need a facility.

Good luck ... and keep us informed of how it works out for you.
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That's what I was thinking, that it's probably her medications counteracting each other or maybe even causing her confusion and sleeplessness. That's where I would start.
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Her confusion is a clue that perhaps the combination of medications is wrong for her. I would definitely check with her doctor. If this doctor doesn't have any ideas, try to get a second opinion. Is she seeing a geriatrician? Doctors trained in treating older patients often have a better handle on these issues.
You will need a break, for sure. So she may have to return to the nursing home.Either way, this is something that needs addressing. Please do try to get her medications evaluated, and maybe start out fresh.
Good Luck,
Carol
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