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She frets and obsesses over most anything, usually her finances. (Her finances are sound.) Lately she has taken to constant sighing, sniffling, chewing her nails to the quick, and picking at her lips. I try to edit most everything I tell her so she doesn't go off into another round of fretting, but sometimes it's difficult to know what will set it off. Currently she is taking 10 mg Celexa for anxiety and depression, but is that dosage really enough to make her feel better about her world? Maybe I need to take something!!

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Rascal -

The anxiety goes along with the dementia. Some have it worse than others. My grandmother was so deep into her dementia that she insisted:

1) someone was breaking into the house and eating her food and hiding her dishes/pots/pans. She nailed the windows shut with huge nails and blocked all the doors to prevent this, essentially blocking any way to get out in case of a fire.

2) she was a secret agent for the FBI/CIA/President etc - what agency depended on the day and what mood she was in that day. She would skulk around with a big blue fedora on her head pulled low over her eyes, sunglasses on and spy on the neighbors.

3) her car was painted with some sort of radioactive paint, so she repainted it with barn red flat house paint and a paint roller.

It can get pretty bad. How long has she been taking the Celexa? Sometimes it takes a while for the cumulative effect of the meds to build up enough to make a difference. If she's been on it for a while, you may need to go back to the doc and have the dosage re-evaluated or see if there's another med that may help manage her anxiety a little better.
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Be aware that Celexa is an SSRI medication for depression and too much can trigger manic activity. Anxiety is better addressed with Ativan or Xanax which are short acting meds specifically for anxiety. If she can take an SNRI like Cymbalta, anxiety is better controlled. Talk to a pharmacist and the MD. Limit her caffeine intake too.
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I wondered about the dementia and the anxiety. Thank goodness she isn't way out there, or at least not yet.

And thank you. I will ask her doctor about the Ativan or Xanax. She has depression as well, so is there an anti-depressant that could be taken with either of these? She is sitting here now watching TV and chewing, chewing, chewing away.
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