I just checked in the Search discussions and didn't find feedback on Celexa. Our neurologist upped my DH's Zoloft to 75 mg because he has Sundowners and wants to up it again. I talked to our PCP and she said she would give him Seroquel if we wanted it. She researched it and found the side effects to not be great for Alzheimers. My DH is not that bad yet so wanted to save it for later. Anyway, she found a drug called Celexa which is in the same family as Zoloft but has been shown to work in calming them down which Zoloft does not seem to be doing. I am going to switch him but wanted to see if there is any feedback from anyone out there. Thanks for your help. Susan
Celexa is a anti-depressent like Wellbutrin and Lexapro. I switched my dh fro Wellbutrin XL to Celexa just last week because it is available in generic and cheaper. No significant difference here. My DH sleeps all the time. I have started cutting the Celexa in half and maybe even weaning him off it to see if it keeps him from sleeping so much. I think the Zoloft is in the similar type of drug but I would ask my pharmacist. They are a wealth of information and easy to get to talk with.
Sid's psychiatrist prescribed Celexa - it's an anti-depressant. My insurance would not pay for it, so she prescribed the generic. He WAS taking 20mg., which barely did anything, but when she increased it to 40mg., it helped relieve the deep, serious depression.
I take Zoloft - I guess it's working - at least I'm not in bed all day with the covers over my head. That's what I felt like doing before I started taking it.
marsh, what are your thoughts about cutting down on the citalopram to see if it will wake her up some.? I am going to watch on a day to day basis. Can't cut any of the others. My husband says he just can't stay awake. Usually he will stay awake in the car.
My DH was on citalopram last summer and it just wiped him out. Either slept all the time or when up, would stumble, like he was drunk. Finally had to take him off it. Didn't replace it - and he's been fine.
My DH takes Celexa as well. He's also on 20mg and somedays he does sleep alot, but I didn't attribute it to the Celexa as it's an anti-depressive. Like marsh, I just thought it was boredom as well. We are seeing his Neuro next Monday, so I will have a discussion with him. The nuero is going to be put thru his paces, because I have gained so much info from you all regarding meds, I have a ton of question! :) ~Di
I knew it was an anti-depressant but my PCP says it works better in calming the patient down then zoloft and it has moderate side effects. (maybe I'll take his leftover zoloft - just kidding). Thanks for the input. I will try it to see if it calms him but if it puts him to sleep all the time, I will take him off. He is okay except for Sundowners while at Day Care in the afternoons. I am now working from home in the afternoons and he seems okay, just more active. I guess all this works differently on different people. Susan
I'm on citalopram (generic for celexa) myself and it helps me a lot. I've noticed that it does aid in sleeping. It was prescribed for depression due to the emotional problems caused by being married to someone with AD.
Imohr, Wellbutrin XL has a generic - Bupropion SR. It was originaly prescribed at 150mg to help me sleep with my fibromyalgia but I immediately discovered it helped tremendously with a low sense of anxiety I had had all my life (childhood physical abuse). The doctor upped it to 300 mg (150 morning and night) a few months ago to help my stress.
Mary, unless it has been changed the Bupropion SR that you take twice a day, His Neuro said to give the second pill before 4 p.m. otherwise it might keep him awake. I didn't want to go that route with the sleep. I could not remember to give him the second one before 4. Glad you are doing well with it and do you take the second one before 4? Our pcp recommended we change from Wellbutrin anyway because he said it was more to help with stopping smoking, I think.
I am in such a quandary of what to do. His Neuro just wanted to up his Zoloft to more than 75mg as he is now on the 75. MY DH gets agitated at Day Care. Since he wouldn't give him something to calm him down (like Seroquel), my PCP did some research and has suggested Celexa 20mg once a day and take him off the Zoloft. She researched it and said that studies have shown it to calm down Alz patients where Zoloft does not. I just started working from home in the afternoons which is helping but when I picked him up from day care today (he goes in the mornings) I was told he grabbed an aid's arm while she was cleaning his bottom. I had decided before today to just leave him on the zoloft since it seemed better with me at home in the PM. Now I don't know what to do. I have the new generic of Celexa but haven't done the switch yet. Does anyone out there have any suggestions. I know if I call his neuro he will up the zoloft. Help!!!
the Count and Countess deHoernle Alzheimer's Pavilion in Deerfield Beach. ... Susan-if you are in Pompano Fl. look into this place. Crappy location-facility is both day care and residential. When I toured it I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
well can you blame him for grabbing the aides arm while 'cleaning his bottom??"""" if i upped my dh med everytime he grabbed me for that, h'e be taking the whole bottle at once..haha.. poor guy! i think hes' right but i do understand the aides maybe scared it could escalate..maybe try the other med to see how it works? some are better with changes in meds. if not go back to the same one. divvi
Thanks, Divvi. I just hate to override his neuro with my PCP but you have encouraged me. I agree, I would grab for aides too but what can I do? I just don't want him sleeping all the time. S
Pompanaosusan - there is a thread here on "being kicked out of daycare" something like that you might want to read. Sounds like things could get worse unless you can de-fuse right away.
Susan there are alot of the SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) used for depression and many are being used with our without approval of FDA for AD persons. we talked before of the black box warnings assoc with alot of them. the alz.org has a topic under treatments called behaviour al symtoms and talks about what drugs are being used. celexa, prozac, zoloft, lexapro, paxil are some of these SSRI's. i think they are 'like'meds as they are all SSRI in a particular group. i do know zoloft is an older drug been around fo rmany decades now. some of these newer ones may have more benefits in comparision to older ones but if you are in doubt why not call the neuro and tell him your PCP has suggested celexa and ask if its ok to try and if not why in his opinion zoloft increased would be better. couldnt hurt. and may give you more peace with your decisionmaking! divvi
Pompanosusan, At this point my dh would greatly resent anyone helping him with personal hygene. He won't even let his son in the bathroom to help him change clothes. That would be a real issue for me if he was someplace without me. I hope you find a workable solution and let us know.
and i might add in defense for your DH -cleaning poo on a grown man can be painful if you hit a sensitive area:)>>> ie- the (OO) haah i know i do it sometimes and he gets quite defensive and i cant blame him. women including strange aides may be in a hurry and not be so careful or have much idea about how painful a slip or rub in the wrong spot can be. i know some of the men here will prolly back this up:) divvi
Divvi, I guess I'll call his neuro but I hate to let him know I don't trust him but I guess I need to get his reasoning of why he would increase his zoloft. He is supposed to be one of the best in town but took him forever to diagnose my DH and give him Aricept. As a matter of fact, because my DH has posterior cortical damage and is basically blind he wouldn't even diagnose for a long time. A neuroopthalmologist who was referred to us by an optomotrist finally diagnosed. Even then his neuro said he didn't have AlZ so went to Mayo in Jacksonville who finally diagnosed it as Alz just in a different location. That is why I really don't know what to do.
Imohr, thanks for your feedback and I am thankful that my DH even lets them do it. They are wonderful at that daycare center but I want to keep him in it at least in the mornings. They even offer respite for up to 2 weeks at no extra cost if I need to go out of town or something. I only pay $144 a month. I want to keep him there.
geez what a deal, 2wks respite for no extra cost??? wow! you better keep him there! i see your point, but some neuros can be quite teed off if you follow another dr opinions instead of theirs. i have one like that. he told me thats why hes a specialist in brain disorders..haha.. got the point. i would go thru my neuro if you are asking for opinions. plus with other issues he has you will need drugs that dont counteract any of the others. personally i know alot of people use PCP but for meds that are specially targeted for AD sometimes having a neurologists input on top of it is a good thing. you know your situation best. divvi
Hoernle where Susan's husband is gets grants so they can provide the most at the least cost. The place is a dream come true. I found it too late for my husband.
As much as I hate to I guess I'll call his neuro before doing anything. He will probably up his zoloft. Meanwhile I have a months worth of Celexa - maybe I'll take it. (not really). Hornele is wonderful. It is clean, no urine smell. I am thinkful for finding it. I had tried the one next door Focal Pt but my DH wouldn't stay at that time and I am so glad because when he was ready to stay, I heard about deHoernle. They truly are a dream come true and I don't want my DH to get kicked out. I realize he is getting agitated when they try to clean his behind and I too don't blame him. Thanks so much for your imput.
I am sorry it was too late for your husband, Doneit, but I am thankful we found it.
I have some Celexa someone gave me..and if fact, the DR. asked me if I would like to try an anti depressant let her know.
I am scared to death to take it! Scared of side effects mainly. Scared of getting dependent , and gaining weight.
I have read about it a lot, and as I now have State Medical I could get it at very little cost. please...educate me....I am often "down" and yet very fearful of pills.
I have taken celexa for the last few years. My doctor gave it to me when I was having a difficult time coping with my husband's illness. I haven't had any side effects from it but it has allowed me to cope so much better. I still have my emotions and get upset, but it's not as bad as it was before I took it. My doctor knew I needed some help for my own well-being but didn't want to give me something like xanax which is very addicting and causes drowsiness and other things. I needed to be calmer but keep my wits about me. I take it at night because when I first started taking it, it did make me drowsy. Doesn't do that anymore. If/when I decide to stop taking it, I know it has to be done slowly but it is worth it to me for my own mental well-being.
It is one of the cheaper anti-depressants. I pay $10 for 3 months worth at Walmart. It is up to you on whether you take it or not. Just wanted to let you know that it has worked for me. Don't forget, it does take a few weeks to really have an effect.
coco--I don't like taking pills either and was also concerned about the side effect of weight gain with anti depressants. If that was going to happen, I decided to do it the old fashioned way--eating! At least I enjoyed it :) Now that my husband is living at an ALF, I just shed the "caregiving" weight and didn't have to face the dependency issue (food for thought--pardon the pun).
I have always been worried about anti-depressants. I had so much responsibility where my husband was concerned, I was afraid I'd be so whacked out, I wouldn't be able to care for him. I used Valerian when I was stressed. It worked for me. Now that Don is gone, I still take it occasionally. Not an Rx. Can be bought in Health food stores Or drug stores.
My dh was prescribed Celexa by his psychiatrist for depression. It was very effective for about 2 years. He had been on Wellbutrin for about 2 years before which was helpful for awhile. When depression and agression were increasing, the Wellbutrin was increased with disastrous results. So the Celexa (ibuprion) was tried and helped alot as did the visits to the doctor. Eventually the dosage wasn't working anymore, so it, too was increased and my dh seemed more agitated than before. Tried seroquel and depakote in final stages...finding the right balance was so difficult, so then taken often all meds and then palliative care (Ativan) until the end. Each person with AD responds so differently and then varies among stages, it is such a tricky slope. Talk it over with the neuro, get as much info as you can and then make an informed decision.
My dh has been on 40 mg Celexa (generic) for a year or so with no problems. He was becoming very aggressive and the Celexa calmed him right down and now he's a sweeter man than I have ever known - so easy to get along with. I don't think it makes him particularly sleepy, but, probably slows him down a bit. He doesn't take any other drugs for AD and only a 25 mg med for BP and a pill for prostate and Vit D. Took him to a neuropsych a few weeks ago and the doc looked at his meds and his medical history and proclaimed him to be one of the healthiest 82 year-olds he'd ever seen (excluding the AD, of course) and was amazed at how few drugs he takes. I give it to him in the morning along with his BP and a couple Imodiums and he's great all day - no aggression and I have his incontinence under control, as well. We're both happy campers.