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My mother also has anger issues and likes to throw tantrums and says such mean hurtful things. We tried the Seroquel, it was a nightmare. Put her on Risperodone plus her Citrapolan. Hasn't stopped the negativity but the anger is less.
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Talk to either a primary care provider (PCP) who specializes in elderly, or geri psych. I believe different medications will help. They all work differently so it may take some trial and error. Record behaviors to help the prescriber have a clue about how your loved one responds. Some are energizing, some sedating. Sometimes with elderly they work opposite/paradoxically from average person.

My Dad had a window of being angry, which was unusual for him, loss of driving, loss of control, overwhelmed by everyday stuff, easily confused. It passed. He is on citalopram now, helps him, does nothing for me. I take a small amount of Lexapro generic at night (more makes me sleepy) and it works great. I take Welbutrin day time. I used to take Trazadone, It will improve sleep, a small dose. My mom was on Prozac for a while following a stroke, it settled her anger issues. Later with Effexor - (Venlafaxine) to help with pain and mood. I am allergic to Vanlafaxine.
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Lexapro has helped my mom with the sundowning issue. As stated by someone above, all meds do not work the same on all people, but if you haven't tried it, talk to the dr.
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My Mother Is Going Through Dementia ... As Stated Numerous Times, One Minute, She Considers Me To Be The Best Son In The World And Minutes Later, She May Consider My To Be The Laziest Person On The Planet.

Some Of The Things That Come From Her Mouth Are Hurtful. I Take What She Says And Keep It To Myself Rather Than Defending Myself Verbally And Creating Argument.

Currently, She Is Takling Medication (Xanax) For Anxiety. Can Someone Recommend Anything, From Exercise To Medication(s), That Would Lessen The "Nasty" Effects Of Dimentia?
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I would call two even three doctors and make appts with just so you get the right dx. (hopefully)
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Same poor response to Seroquel for my mom. She hated the stuff! Risperdol has worked very well and she knows it.
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It really annoys me that once an elderly person is diagnosed with dementia no one takes them seriously anymore Your mum obviously hates where shes living and is mad that you put her there . She must feel helpless . I think the label of dementia is given far too freely Also dementia drugs can cause horrendous side effects Look them up and whatever you do be on your mums side and if she is deteriorating in this facility get her out You only get one mum Imagine how you would feel in her position Old people are being labelled and drugged for being a bit forgetful and drug companies are making millions Please stay close to your mum and respect her wishes You know her better than any doctor
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My Dad was placed in several facilities within his first months of having to leave his home, due to aggression, agitation and excessive drinking, and then being unsafe towards Mom who had just gotten a new fracture in her back and was recovering. He was back and forth to 3 hospitals in between the facilities to have meds adjusted, until he finally got into a geri-psych hospital that specialized in the dementias and the elderly. When he was placed in the facility he is in now, and has been in for just over a year now....the beauty of this facility is that they have geriatric psychiatrists and nurse practioners affiliated with them, instead of just regular physicians. They are much more equipped at handling and adjusting the meds that work on the aggressive behaviors. Now if your facility that Mom is in does NOT have an affiliation with a geri psych office of specialists, you can look for your own...start with looking for a 'geriactric specialist' as the regular doctor and then ask them for referrals or have them consult with a geri psych person. My dad did not do well on Seroquel at all....and he's now on resperidol and trazadone I believe, as his main geri psych meds. Of course, we cannot assume that meds work the same on all individuals, and some of this agitation is also just the 'stage' of dementia that one is currently in. With my Dad, and as a retired RN....what I see happening is that this stage seems to come as the person moves from a mild to moderate dementia to the next level. It is like they have an awareness that things are getting worse, and they cannot make their brains work right anymore and they get very frustrated, thus leading to the agitation. Once they get into the next phase, where they cannot remember or put together logical thoughts for more than a few minutes at a time, they become more calm, because they do not have the frame of reference to get into the frustration any more. My Dad now only has times of short agitation, when there is 'too much noise' in his facility, or too much activity or commotion going on. He is excited and happy whenever my Mom visits or I visit....but thinks we've not been there for weeks, and that we were never coming back. He is easy to redirect into activities or other things to focus on. No longer does he worry about who is paying the bills, or how Mom is getting cared for at home, or anything outside his immediate needs. He doesn't remember who people are in pictures, or by name, but with a very short time of communicating about them, he can pull the details out of his brain and remember. And then, some days, he can sit and look at pictures on my cell phone when I visit and it all 'clicks' and it's like he never forgot family members. It is a very SAD disease. I am not looking forward to having my mother walking the same path now....and right behind her, may be my husband, who is newly diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.
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Never assume the facility is on the up and up and it's always your elder patient. Just a heads up for you. I have actually lived in a community with elderly. What I found was that most ppl put way too much trust in a facility even above their loved one while the loved one suffers alone.Just saying you really should not dismiss everything to disease before investigating further. Your mom may have legit concerns.
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There is really nothing you can do for the aggresive behaviour because if you try and curtail it it could get more combative, they could get more aggitated. They cant help it of course, they do not even realize it, their brains are not thinking properly like you or I, I know you know that but, they are not going to remember to behave them selves, it will not register. My advice would be to have them in a place where they can be safer and you will be safer. When an elder on has alzheimers and it begins to become combative like that, then, as much as it may hurt our feelings, they need to be placed in a Memory Care Facility, nursing home. Bless their hearts, they do not realize. It will NOT be like you are throwing them away. They may cry, they may cry there, they may cry when you visit and leave. But, they would be around nursing staff, caregivers, doctors. in the Skilled Nursing Facility. If she or he do not have the funds..which it is so expensive these places, then, you can apply for Medicaid, and they would quialify. If they have money now paying the full amont for the Skilled facility until you spend down the money they have in the bank or savings, it takes around 45 days or so to get approved. Having some one come in is really expensive, one has to be in a Skilled Nursing Facility in order for Medicaid to pick up that cost.
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My mom was put on Seroquel&OMGOSH! Worst med. EVER, she has ALWAYS been mean&nasty 2 me, but Seroquel only ENHANCED it. Needless 2 say, she was QUICKLY taken off of it. I feel your pain, I am a full time caretaker for her&sometimes I about go BONKERS!! I would maybe suggest 2 the drs. 2 drop that med. & see if that helps. I wish u luck&GOD BLESS U♡
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i went thru thw same with my momma...... she got aggressive, her dr put her on zoloft n respiridone... ita has seemed to help... alot of her anger is from sibling who used money that she swears she didnt approve... we have since moved back to my state and i get momma out around more ppl n go to bingo.... she does well for the most part....
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Hello,
I don't have any easy answer for you. However, I am taking care of my mom at home and I know that she loves me even when she seems so mean. It is the illness talking through my mom. One minute, I am an angel for giving her such good care and not long after that I am mean and I don't understand because I am not going through what she is going through. She's right. I don't know and don't want to ever know. However, spend any time you can with your mom and know that she is sick and angry but that she loves you. Remember, these are people who were once vibrant and strong and they are facing reality whether they consciously realize it or not. I wish you and your family all the best!
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Perhaps you could check with the nurses once a week or so, and see if she has become calmer, and less angry. Like you said, "It's the Alzheimer's, not her". If this behavior is starting to fade, try visiting her again.Your feelings might be uplifted.
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Jk, let us know how it's going!
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Moving her won't help. Dementia is a slippery down hill slope. Maybe stay away from her for a while so she has time to adjust and see if a change of meds would help.
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Get her out of there. Find a better place for her.
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I think that you should start out by calling mom's doctor for a change in meds (Seroquel did NOTHING for my mom's sundowning) and call the director of nursing to find out why the staff is just putting her in her room. If this is a facility that claims to be able to handle dementia patients, then they should have some expertise on staff.

It may also be that your mom needs some time to settle in to her new environment. Talk to the DON about what the timeline usually is for patient's settling in. As tough as it is, sometimes it's better to stay away for a week or more. I'm so sorry that you're going through this rough patch.
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