Has anyone used Trazodone or Melatonin for sleep on parent with dementia?

My 83 year old mother with Alzheimer's was on Trazodone. Geriatric psychiatrist stopped it and put her on Remeron (Mirtazapine) instead. I really haven't noticed much difference. The idea was this change would reduce some of the day time delusions. Again not much change noticeable there either.

Yes my mother has used both and they did not work as well as we had hoped. I tell you I just tasted the Trazodone (licked it) and it literally made my heart hurt immediately... it was frightening.

We managed to get Mom into see a very well know researcher in CA who works with Alz, Dementia, Anxiety, Depression and many others. He put her on 2 medications and one of them was Prozac and I thought he was crazy, but my Mom is doing so much better, it is unbelievable. I have now gone to him for Panic and Anxiety.

Wow! That clinic situation doesn't sound very well organized. I'm sorry it isn't working better for you.

But trazodone may be suitable choice. My mother (93, with dementia) is now taking it. It is too early to tell how effective it will be. We increased the dose tonight. The thing is, just about anything available is going to be a trial-and-error experience. Drugs don't work the same for everyone, and elderly and those with dementia seem to have more varied reactions than younger people.

Melatonin is generally safe and is recommended for a wide range of sleep problems. It is worth trying. Just know that it isn't always effective for everyone.

Just about any drug you read up on will scare you. Realize that sleep deprivation is scary, too. Sometimes it is a matter of weighing the risks and benefits and choosing the lesser evil.

For an interesting article comparing sleeping aids, type in Sleeping Pills, New and Old in a Google search, and select the article by Psych Central Professional.

Good luck with resolving your issues with the doctor who can't remember what drugs his patients are taking ...

stressed, I don't know of an antidepressant that will not react with Coumadin. In mom's case we got rid of the Coumadin and gave her a baby aspirin at noon with the Zoloft being given 8am and 8pm. Works well, no clots.
All antidepressants also have some prolongation of the Q-T segment. Again in Mom's case the combination we gave actually made her A-Fib almost undetectable. I'm not saying you will see the same results, but you should talk things over and get both MD's on the same page, or dump one of them.
Melatonin is milder and more natural, but may not be as effective.

I started my husband on 3-5 mg of Melatonin to help him sleep. About an hour after falling asleep he would wake up having really bad delusions and hallucinations. I couldn't figure out why it would be the "all natural" Melatonin. But I told his Neurologist and she said if you don't give a high enough dose of Melatonin to some elderly people, it will cause a sleep-walk like delusional sleep. Took him off and replaced with .5mg Klonopin and he sleeps well now

Hello HolyCow,

Here are a few articles and questions that have already been answered in the community that may help your caregiving question.

https://www.agingcare.com/questions/experience-with-trazadone-for-helping-with-sleep-for-their-parent-165076.htm

https://www.agingcare.com/News/aging-eyes-and-sleep-disruption-147833.htm

https://www.agingcare.com/questions/sleep-aid-for-dementia-patient-143055.htm

Hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Ashley T.
The AgingCare.com Team

My mom takes trazadone at night to sleep but she does not have dementia or if she does its very slight as when she gets paranoia about bed bugs even tho we have treated and there is no evidence of. When my mom started taking trazedone it seemed she slept better and woke up in a good mood every morning. She was on a mild antipressant that doubled as a good sleep aid for elderly (can't remember name) but after several years seemed to stop working. She has done well on Trazedone for a few years.

You are not alone in this. I am a 62 y.o. caregiver to my 82 y.o. mother who has Dementia. I've been doing it for just over 7 years now, by myself, 24/7 without a single day off yet. Her Doctor sent Home Health to us, who evaluated her asking if she wanted to die/kill herself (in her condition who wouldn't??) and they decided she needs to be in a Psych Eval Unit. They tried to put her into one where a Dr. Ali, who had a role in taking her from the ER suffering confusion from a Urinary Tract Infection and ramming her into a Psych/Chem Dependency Unit where she was assaulted by another resident, and then they tried to cover it up and lie about it. To this day, NOT ONE apology. The Psych Eval unit they wanted her put in has this same quack in it so there's no way that is going to happen. We were both VERY traumatized by what he did, and he will never see her again. So now, we're looking at another unit but they don't accept Humana as Humana won't pay their bills, so now we have a choice to make: drop the insurance and just use Medicare, or change insurance companies. Meanwhile, her Doctor is being a jerk about the whole thing insisting that the Home Health Nurse who evaluated her "knows all sees all" and that she can only be treated in hospital where they will treat her for her depression. SURPRISE!!!! She is already on an antidepressant called Trazodone and it's not working. Sometimes it seems like all anyone is really interested in doing is collecting that co-pay and doing as little as they can skate by with doing. I've fired the Home Health people...I'm fixing to fire her Doctor, and take her somewhere else. Oh, one I fired Home Health, they called the cops and sent them to the house to do a "wellness check" since she had mentioned wanting to die. That's the kind of care you can expect from Columbus, MS. So you are not alone in your frustration over this. It is a horrible disease which our govt. offers absolutely no help with at all. Caregivers should at least be paid something so that they don't have to go into bankruptcy over this, but they would rather waste OUR money on foreign countries and sugar deals for their pals. It's a sick deal all the way around but you are not alone...you're just ignored by the medical community and your govt.

And I use to be a nurse so I know sloppy medical care when I see it.

The Doctor mentioned above is sending, by registered mail, a 30 day supply RX of her meds. Guess this means she's wanting to dump the mess she made on someone else. That's Fine Dr.