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All prescription and over the counter medications as well as any supplements should be logged and reviewed by a geriatric psychiatrist. It can be amazing what the right medical professional can do. You should also work on the daytime routine to increase activity if possible and remove anything in the nighttime environment that may be leading to sleep issues.
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My Alz husband gets celexa for depression and Ativan at night to sleep it has worked for six months. He is prescribed .5mg twice a day but I only give it to him at night and I usually cut it in half. If he is not sleep within the hour I gave him the other half. It also helps to keep them busy during the day so they are tired at night
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Trazadone does work well as it not only helps with sleep but calms anxiety as well. Its been around for years so it costs much less than the new meds which seem to have more side effects like sleep eating and driving while asleep( yes that has been reported) check with doc this may work well for you.
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Grammy, do you use the same doctor? Perhaps you need an appointment for yourself, describe what it is like trying to get by with no sleep and no support, maybe then he will get it!!!
Seriously though, you can't care for him unless you care for yourself first. If you can't make the doctor understand then you need a doctor with more experience treating dementia. Would it be possible to have your husband go to day care during the week? That would keep him up during the day and give him something to focus on as well as giving you a break.
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My wife's doctor prescribed Mirtazapine also. Solved her depression and sleep problems
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GrammyM - You need to get another doctor - and fast! You MUST take care of YOURSELF FIRST!
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Perfect timing with this question! Husband wanders throughout the house at night. I, as his spouse and only caregiver, is exhausted. Talked to spouse's doctor about prescribing a sleeping pill, however, the doctor would not. Said, it was his experience prescribing sleeping pills to dementia patient's would make them susceptible to falls and injuries. It's getting worse---not only does spouse walk about at night banging doors, opening and closing closets and cabinets, walking up and down the steps, waking me to ask if I am okay (at 2am) his latest "midnight shift duty" is emptying our 2 cat's food bowls and throwing the food out onto the garage floor. One morning I awoke to find every measuring cup, including spoons, filled with Diet Pepsi lined up on the kitchen counter. He refuses to sleep in bed. Hasn't slept in bed for over 6 months--chooses to roll himself up in a fur laden kitty blanket and sleep sitting up on the living room sofa. His doctor never addressed the fact the caregiver is beyond exhaustion. The doctor's only suggestion was....try and keep spouse from dozing off during the day, perhaps he will sleep better at night! I responded to the doctor--how should I do that, pinch him every 10 minutes! Will add---spouse is very lazy, always was. Doesn't have a hobby, doesn't want a hobby, anti-social, doesn't care to socialize and has never helped around the house. Doesn't know what a paint brush or step ladder is. Cutting 2 acres of grass has never been his style. Lawn mowers, electric drills and screwdrivers are for 'other' people. I'm so disgusted and beyond tired I plan to go to a pharmacy and choose an over-the-counter sleeping pill for him. If it doesn't agree with his current medicine, that will need dealt with. I'm tired of reaching out to professionals that really do not understand caregivers situations. If professionals have not been there, they certainly do not understand. In fact, during the last visit, spouse's doctor told me he has no doubt that I would die before my husband! Talk about a positive doctor visit! Not!
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My father's on trazodone and doesn't seem to have issues with sleeping except last night. He's been on it for two years. Personally, I took a few different kinds of sleeping pills in 2010. Ambien put me out at first, and then I'd wake up an hour later with my heart racing, scared, bolt upright, and confused. It was worse than no sleep. The doctor said to try it again, and at some point, it stopped putting me out and just made me freak out. It turned out I was stuck in a panic attack (long story), and anxiety meds eventually allowed me to sleep.
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Trazodone was prescribed by my VA nurse. I hope it works. He was awake longer than I expected last night. But after he got to sleep, he did sleep through the night.
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We started using mirtazapine about 6 months ago to help my mother sleep at night and I have been very pleased with the results, it also reduced her anxiety during the day. Others on this site have been prescribe trazodone, another type of anti depressant with similar results. Neither are sleeping pills, but produce the desired results.
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Hi Wam,

I am glad to hear that. What pills?
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My husband just started on sleeping pills last Saturday night. So he has had them for three nights. I was starting to be sleep deprived. If he doesn't sleep, I don't sleep. So far so good. He still wakes up bright and early at 6:30AM. Ready to go.
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BTW, try it yourself. Google "problems with Ambien."
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In her earliest merory loss stage, my mom was taking ambien. She was taking it probably for a couple of years. she told me many times that it really worked but only for four hours so she would have to wake up and take more. During that whole time, I never spent a night with her under the same roof since we lived only one mile away.

Then we went on a three-month vacation together.

I couldn't believe it. My mom got up int he night, spoke in gibberish, went to the kitchen and ate food (very common apparently). One night she dropped cake in the middle of the living room floor.

Ironically, the very next day I overeard someone say something about ambien. I went to the computer and googled "problems with Ambien," and oh boy, what stories I found.

I confronted my mom, wrote to her doctor, and she never took ambien again.

I would always advise googling about the drug and "problems with" before trying it.

good luck!
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Well, according to a lot of doctors, NOBODY should be given a sleeping pill! I wouldn't try over-the-counter meds without a doctor's supervision. But helping a person with dementia sleep through the night can be a critical part of whether they can remain at home with caregivers. So ... I think the best thing would be to work on this problem with her doctor. If the current pills are not helping her sleep, there is no reason to continue them, I would think.

Why can't this person sleep? Is she agitated? Needing to pee every hour? Fearful? Having awful dreams? She sleeps all day? I think narrowing down some possible causes would help the doctor make recommendations.
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I have learned that there are various medications that may be tried to help dementia patients who have sleep issues. Certainly, they should be prescribed by her doctor. I wouldn't attempt to treat a sleeping problem with over the counter meds, unless the doctor suggested it.
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Certainly wouldn't be unusual. I gave my mom prescribed sleeping pills. The patient and the caretaker need rest. Frankly, rest is more critical for the caregiver. If the pills aren't working, the caretaker should be communicating that fact to the doctor -- AFTER, in my opinion, having tried them for a full week.
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