Mom sees things that aren't there at night. Recently stopped Trazodone. Could this be from withdrawal or is it dementia?

My mom was very depressed when we lost my father. She began seeing objects and people who were not present. She also talked to people who were not there and could not understand why they wouldn't answer. I took my mother to see a neurologist who prescribed donepezil, ramipril, and trazodone for confusion, anxiety, and depression. All of her symptoms disappeared over a short period of time. It has been 2-1/2 years. We are now looking at reducing or removing some of the meds.

Going back to my inquiry about her vision and macular degeneration - I spoke with my eye doctor about vision problems and hallucinations. He confirmed the possibility and explained that Charles Bonnet syndrome is common with macular degeneration. With it, people experience hallucinations which can cause others to assume dementia or mental incapacity, etc.

Rule out physical causes before assuming mental conditions. None of us want to lose our rights prematurely.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Bonnet_syndrome is one reference to check out.

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions and stories! It's comforting to know I'm not alone with what is happening. Mom is 81 and has had one cataract removed, and will need the other one removed soon. Also, she has been on Trazadone for years (I'm not sure how long because she started it years ago when she was living on her own). Since the medication was removed, I'm wondering if it may have been dementia and the Trazadone was masking the symptoms. While she was still on it, she was seeing things once in a great while. When she stopped, it became more frequent and common. I'm going to also look up Lewy Body Dementia, because she is sleeping a lot during the day. Thanks again!

Oh so many stories....We live in a mobile home/manufactured home park for seniors. One day while sitting on our deck out front, my mother (with moderate dementia) started waving. I said, "Who are you waving at"? She said, "Those guys that are sitting outside of their basement". I said, "Mom, these places don't have basements. They are mobile homes." Well we went back and forth with this for a few minutes until I told her to show me what she was looking at. She took me to the house next door (incidentally, there were no people outside at all) and stood in front of a large plant pot and said that the stairway that goes to the basement is under the pot. She held onto that one for awhile. My brother and I still could not figure that one out. It gave he and I a laugh.

One early morning my mom, who has dementia, called me into her room. She was panicked and had opened her window, something she is usually too paranoid to do. She asked "Did you see it?" and I answered "What?" and she said "The white monkey". Apparently she had her window open to let the monkey out. Another time, she was convinced there was a bear in a tree across the street. Unfortunately, our area was visited by a bear a few months later and it was all over the news. Hah! So I wouldn't worry about what your mom might "see"... the best we can do is reassure them and try to maintain a sense of humor.

Hallucinations are a part of Lewy Body Dementia. My husband was put on cloziril which helped a lot.

...macular degeneration, ...

Just some miscellaneous thoughts...

Might she have a UTI?

How is her vision? Has she been checked for maculsr degeneration, etc?

Seeing things that aren't there can be a form of dementia called Lewy body dementia (LBD). Although this dementia affects 1.3 million Americans, it is unfamiliar to many primary care physicians and is often mis-diagnosed as Alzheimer's disease. LBD affects a person's thinking, behavior, and movement. Besides hallucinations, people with LBD exhibit excessive daytime sleepiness, loss of interest in the world around them, stiffening of muscles, changes in gait, significant and fluctuating levels of awareness, and other symptoms. A neurologist is typically is the one who can make an accurate diagnosis. Some medications that work well for patients with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's diseases can have significantly negative outcomes for people with LBD, hence an accurate diagnosis is particularly important. To learn more, visit the Lewy Body Dementia Association's website, www.lbda.org. I'm sending you and your Mom lots of healthy and supportive thoughts!

My mom had hallucinations when taking antibiotics for urinary tract infection. Just had to console her until she was done with meds. She occasionally imagines dad is in the bathroom, or some other small thing which she realizes when she gets wide awake isn't possible. God bless.

My father is 90 with dementia he sometimes gets sundowners, very common in elderly people, just a thought.

If the Trazodone was stopped suddenly, anything can happen. Find a good Neurologist and do CT/MRI and target the meds to the area of the brain that needs them.

My mother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's last year. I have witnessed prior years of dementia, erratic behavior, etc. She was on a drug for this and it caused her to have hallucinations during the night, very scary! I have now lived w/her for 10 months and although the meds have changed they don't make any difference and her Dr. isn't all that helpful. She constantly repeats questions to me 10-20 times a day and is very confrontational and just plain mean.

Have another Dr. check, perhaps a gerontologist. A second opinion is always a good choice.

Could it be a urinary tract infection?

Go to wikipedia and read 'SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome' for symptoms wrt withdrawal from this class of drugs. Hope this is helpful.

Google is good, and also check the information packets that come with the prescribed medications.

I always google my mom's meds to see if there are any strange side effects, because I have found out the hard way that some doctors will tell you that the weird behavior is not due to side effects when it turns out that it really WAS from the med. Wikipedia is also a good source for info about meds.

no xanax does not cause hallucinations, been on it ten years 6 mg a day for my axiety, that is not a side effect to this med

When Mom took a Lyrica capsel one night last year, then 92, for bad pain after a back injury, she "thought she was with me at the racetrack", and even talked to me as if we were actually there! I called the 911 team to insure that nothing was mentally deranged going on. And, my doctor and Mom's doctor had said that Trazedone to help for sleep is non-addictive. I can take only about 13mg and sleep about 4-6 hours, but Mom feels no effect even on two 50mg tablets! In April 2013, Mom was also drinking some burgandy wine during the night to help her relax and get more sleep.

My 93-year old mother has dementia. She is not on any medication for that. Some mornings she will tell me that she had conversations with a deceased family member. When I tell her she must have dreamed it because that person is dead, she insists they were there. At first I took this as a sign that my mother might be ready to "meet her Maker" even although she appeared to be in pretty good physical condition. (Throughout my life I've heard stories about people dying who are visited by spirits of loved ones.) Now I am relieved because she still doing fine physically and occasionally will still talk about seeing and talking to dead family members. I've chalked it up to dementia. Sometimes I'll remind her that they are dead. Other times I'll just indulge her and listen. So far her "visions" are harmless.

I asked my mom's dr if it could be any of her meds because she takes ALOT of meds. He says it's not, however, she takes xanax and I read that it can cause hallucinations. She's been on it for 20 years though so... I don't know.

Many medications cause hallucinations. Perhaps she is just suffering side-effects from a med she is on. Both my parents went through this with some of their meds.

I don't know but my mom sees cats and kittens all the time. She even called 911 one time because seh thought there were cats in her room. She's afraid of them. She also sees men who are trying to hurt her. I've told the dr several times. He has not done anything. I don't know if she has dementia or not. I suspect she does because of other behavior but then some days she's very normal, but most of the time she repeats herself over and over and forgets things that just happened. She's paranoid and always thinks someone is out to "get her".

The information on Oleptro (trazodone) says it has a long half life, so even though your mother has stopped it, she could still be having sleepy side-effects. Seeing things at night is hard on anyone since your rods and cones don't work well in the dark. At any rate, tell her psychiatrist. If she has not resolved a depression in these last 5 yrs., then that medication did not work. There are so many other meds she could try. Have her thoroughly checked by a her primary doctor to rule out any medical causes for the depression (it could be a low thyroid or B-12 deficiency). If all chemistry panels check out okay, then switch meds. Getting an antidepressant that works takes a lot of time and many, many tries to find the right key to unlocking her depression. Another resort is ECT (electro convulsive therapy) for resistant cases. Getting her medically checked is a priority. With Paget's disease there are usually no symptoms, but one can fall and fracture bones. My best to your mother and you.

I figure we won't know for sure until we're the ones affected. The best we can do is understand, support, and weigh the pros and cons.

My mom is on only Paroexetine for depression that she has taken for many years. She is also in the moderate dementia stage. She used to take Aricept (which did not help at all) and complained only of "strange dreams" at night. When we removed the drug, they stopped. However, in the last six months I have heard her talking to our cat who is not in her room but mine and claims to have seen a white cat in her room. I have gone in when she claims to have seen it and found nothing in her room or anywhere in the house. That would be about it so far. I have heard that it sometimes happens with dementia patients.

Hearing difficulties can vary per person. While there are sounds my Dad can't hear without his hearing aids other sounds/frequencies come through, even if they are muffled or distorted. Hearing problems don't necessarily mean someone can't hear at all.

That being said, it's good to learn about successes with this med and the others that aren't, etc.

I have taken 50 mg of Trazedone for over 20 years for restless leg syndrome and haven't had any side effects. My mom recently started taking a half 50 mg pill since she was in a rehab facility to help her sleep. She is home now and claims she hears organ music playing during the night. She can't hear me knock on her bedroom door when she isn't wearing her hearing aids. I told her it is probably angels playing music for her to help her sleep. She used to be a night owl, up until 2 or 3 AM and out of bed by 8. Now she sleeps from 11-8.

How old is she? My 85 yr old mom takes trazedone also to help her sleep although I think the antidepression part of the drug helps her too as I think for years she self medicated depression/anxiety with alcohol. My mom has had the " I have bugs in my room" thing a couple times in last year but now ok. What does the doc say?

yes it could be dementia, as my mom hears and sees things that are not there, she also takes trazodone, there is a medication for your mom if she has dementia called aricept, my mom takes 14 meds per day for multiple disease, will keep you in my prayers