My dad had a stroke and is in the hospital. My mom has dementia and has over the top anxiety. Sundowning is the worse time but it is happening during day. We finally got the doctor to prescribe seroquel. Anyone have experience with this?
Everyone is different but my dad was on Seroquel in the hospital to try and help with sundowning and sleep. It caused disturbing nightmares as a side effect. Bad enough for him to start trying to get out of bed. So for him it was not helpful for sleep. When he moved to rehab we ended up stopping the Seroquel. His dose was 25 mg.
Replying to Katsue: He started out with 12.5mg in the morning and 12.5mg in the evening. We bought a pill splitter and used to cut the 25mg tablets in half. Now that he's up to 100mg per day, he gets 25 mg in the morning, 25mg at noon, and 50mg in the evening.
My dad is 94 and has had severe anxiety with his dementia for many years. He started on a low dose of Seroquel which has increased over the years given his increasing level of anxiety. You will notice, over time, that the dose she is currently taking will not perform as well as it did initially and will need to be increased as time goes on. My dad is currently up to 4 - 25mg tablets per day.
Did you give it to him at night? About 4 in afternoon (depending day) is when it starts. I dont want her falling asleep at 4! She’s on 25mg. Only started yesterday
Based on what I’ve read and seen since my LO got dementia, anxiety, depression, ocd, etc, are not unusual. My LO became very anxious to the point that she cried, worried, and obsessed about her family, pets and other things most of the time. Medication really helped her. She took a daily med for anxiety and depression and it worked well. At some point she also took a small dose of seroquel at night and that helped her too. Everyone is different though. Meds that work for some, don’t work for others.
Thank you! I’m still trying to maneuver this site. She did have anxiety before this but not to this extreme. It’s so sad. I know that anxiety feeling but I can overcome it. She’s not capable Thanks for your input 😊
You're welcome "Katsue1530," - I've been on the forum for just three months and I'm still trying to figure the "ins" and "outs" of this site too!
Hopefully, you'll find others who are in your situation. Sometimes I think there's really no "easy" answers for any of it and a lot (especially if it comes down to medications) is "trial and error" because what works for one person may not work for another. Also, the brain is very complex and just the right dose is hard for the majority of doctors to pinpoint.
I'd be curious to know if your mom suffered from anxiety prior to having dementia. I know my mom has suffered from anxiety long before she had Alzheimer's so I'd be willing to bet it is exacerbated by the dementia since it's all brain related.
My mom was 89 when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's related dementia. She is 95 now. Oftentimes, they can get agitated as well as have anxiety and depression. My mom is now on hospice after surviving COVID and severe dehydration. The new facility where we moved her into memory care wanted me to have hospice put her on medication for it. My mom hasn't slept well in years and we all know what happens when we don't get proper sleep. Our mood changes, we're restless, anxious, agitated and our bodies aren't able to have the proper healing affects when we don't sleep. My mom currently is on the lowest dosage of Trazadone and now she sleeps all the way through the night and is no longer trying to get out of bed in the middle of the night and falling.
My mom doesn't have sundowning issues so I can't address that. You may want to go to the upper right corner and click on "care topics" and look up problems that arise with "sundowning."
I just see so many people with all types of dementias having issues with anxiety. I hope the Seroquel will be helpful for your mom.
You could also contact the "Alzheimer's Association" 24/7 hotline for more information 1-800-279-3900.
My poor psych doc has had me try so many drugs to get me to sleep--Seroquel is the only one that worked.
It can be super sedating in older folks. 25 mgs is about the smallest dose. I take between 25-100 depending on the day. BUT only at bedtime.
Hopefully, you'll find others who are in your situation. Sometimes I think there's really no "easy" answers for any of it and a lot (especially if it comes down to medications) is "trial and error" because what works for one person may not work for another. Also, the brain is very complex and just the right dose is hard for the majority of doctors to pinpoint.
I'd be curious to know if your mom suffered from anxiety prior to having dementia. I know my mom has suffered from anxiety long before she had Alzheimer's so I'd be willing to bet it is exacerbated by the dementia since it's all brain related.
My mom was 89 when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's related dementia. She is 95 now. Oftentimes, they can get agitated as well as have anxiety and depression. My mom is now on hospice after surviving COVID and severe dehydration. The new facility where we moved her into memory care wanted me to have hospice put her on medication for it. My mom hasn't slept well in years and we all know what happens when we don't get proper sleep. Our mood changes, we're restless, anxious, agitated and our bodies aren't able to have the proper healing affects when we don't sleep. My mom currently is on the lowest dosage of Trazadone and now she sleeps all the way through the night and is no longer trying to get out of bed in the middle of the night and falling.
My mom doesn't have sundowning issues so I can't address that. You may want to go to the upper right corner and click on "care topics" and look up problems that arise with "sundowning."
I just see so many people with all types of dementias having issues with anxiety. I hope the Seroquel will be helpful for your mom.
You could also contact the "Alzheimer's Association" 24/7 hotline for more information 1-800-279-3900.