22nd November 2005
Can anyone tell me what meds are helpful in calming the terrible anxiety of dementia? I'm taking mom to her doctor this afternoon and am so sleep deprived I can't seem to think at all. Seem to remember people swearing by Seroquel? But that it costs a bloody fortune in the US.
Up til now mom's problems have been aphasia, short-term memory seems all gone, and the constant anxiety. She hadn't been psychotic yet except for some bad med experiences.
She's had periodic panic attacks that would pass with a small dose of alprazolam. But that doesn't keep her in a steady calm and the SSRIs make her worse.
Wednesday was a bad day for many hours, and Friday was a day and night marathon of hell. She was very tired and fell asleep around 6:00 p.m., only to wake up a half hour later and begin searching for money, accusing me of taking all her money and beating her up, and asked me if I was her husband. Wanted to call the police for protection from me and was yelling for her sons.
Finally got her calmed down, but I realized that had she known how to call the police, I could very well have ended up in jail had they believed her. As for her sons, when she calmed down and I told her she wanted her sons and the things she accused me of doing, she couldn't fathom any of it. (My brothers are not nice people, and guess it's best to just leave it at that.)
It would help to know what med works for others in calming the terrible anxiety. I hate to not trust her doctors, but have had too many bad experiences, and the doctor she has now has been the best of the lot.
Thanks for any input you might have.
It will be a miracle if mom and I survive one more day.
Oh, and she had somehow wolfed down an entire bunch of bananas and two mini pies (which I made the mistake of buying but not again), so I'm even wondering if the potassium in the bananas might have done it or something else she ate. Her brain does not register that she's full and she constantly craves more food.
Up til now mom's problems have been aphasia, short-term memory seems all gone, and the constant anxiety. She hadn't been psychotic yet except for some bad med experiences.
She's had periodic panic attacks that would pass with a small dose of alprazolam. But that doesn't keep her in a steady calm and the SSRIs make her worse.
Wednesday was a bad day for many hours, and Friday was a day and night marathon of hell. She was very tired and fell asleep around 6:00 p.m., only to wake up a half hour later and begin searching for money, accusing me of taking all her money and beating her up, and asked me if I was her husband. Wanted to call the police for protection from me and was yelling for her sons.
Finally got her calmed down, but I realized that had she known how to call the police, I could very well have ended up in jail had they believed her. As for her sons, when she calmed down and I told her she wanted her sons and the things she accused me of doing, she couldn't fathom any of it. (My brothers are not nice people, and guess it's best to just leave it at that.)
It would help to know what med works for others in calming the terrible anxiety. I hate to not trust her doctors, but have had too many bad experiences, and the doctor she has now has been the best of the lot.
Thanks for any input you might have.
It will be a miracle if mom and I survive one more day.
Oh, and she had somehow wolfed down an entire bunch of bananas and two mini pies (which I made the mistake of buying but not again), so I'm even wondering if the potassium in the bananas might have done it or something else she ate. Her brain does not register that she's full and she constantly craves more food.