For the last 3 days my husband has been so agitated. It all seemed to have started when he couldn't open the door, he said it was locked...it wasn't. He has bad moods however, they have not lasted 3 days in row. I am walking on egg shells all the time, though he is always looking for a fight. I have walked away as others have suggested. He is asleep now, I am praying things will be better when he awakes.
Depakote is used sometimes for aggressive AD. Some doctors will freak, because it is used to calm down epileptics. But if you have an aggressive AD, they are about as out of control. Our first doctor said absolutely not, because one of the side effects was perhaps an epileptic episode. But if you read the side effect chart ofr any medication you'd NEVER take anything! Our second doctor was willing to try, and it has helped us with agitation. And yes, we went through ALL the other drugs...seroquel, ativan, you name it. My LO is worse than a bull elephant...there is NO drug that can take her down!
Mine also cannot be calmed. He's been on Aricept without results, takes Effexor in the morning and Seroquel in the afternoon, still can't find the right combination. I've even slipped him an over the counter sleeping pill, also without results. Must be the disease....makes them stronger than bulls. Just what we all need, Alz. LO's with the strength of a lion. Now how can little ole us control them when nursing homes employ beefy orderlies and they have trouble.
I think as with any illness , perhaps no two people are alike. No one medication will help everyone. It took me over a years of talking to doctors and 9 TIA's before I was able to get some help for Lynn. After my last TIA, I called the commissioner at the VA, got Lynn a new doctor. But because he was not a neuro, he could not prescribe antipsychotic...We have a close relationship with my neuro who also sees Lynn , for free most of the time.... talked with me at great length about the black box warning on these drug. I just broke down and said ALL I want is the same tools every nursing home in this country has! But I don't want it to sedate him, I want it to calm his aggression so I can keep him home!
It was hard for me to decide, as there is that black box warning...“Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with atypical antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death compared to placebo.”
It struck me that at this point in time, that this is a terminal disease and his quality of life was the most important thing. I also got to thinking, isn't a placebo a sugar pill in most cases? Well hell, then ANYTHING would be an increased risk compared to that.
I think it is a personal choice, but I know for me, Seroquel has been just shy of a miracle for Lynn. Talk with your doctors, if they wont help, keep searching... Best of luck Nikki
My husband was place on Seroquel when he became very agitated and agressive. The beginning dose was 50 mg in the a.m. and 50 mg in the p.m. but had to be increased to 100mg both a.m. and p.m. Now he is also getting 50mg around 3:00 in the afternoon before sundowning starts with him.
I can tell you that the agitation only increases and my husband would lock himself in our bedroom every day, especially in the evening and when he did come out it was only to yell at me and say really ugly things. Then the anger, agitation, and agreesion got to the point that I had to place him in an assisted living/memory care facility. It is a very difficult decision to make but I had no choice. I had to protect both of us.
Good luck to you and God bless you.
Nikki, you are correct, this IS a terminal disease.
Hi Gay, wow that is a high dose to start someone on. Lynn is only getting 25 mg a day, at night only. I'm so sorry things escalated to that point for you and your husband. I can imagine how hard that must have been for you.
Nikki-my DH did well on 25mg for a while-then crashed. 250mg 2-3 times a day didn't touch him and neither did anything else until he passed through the Violent stage.
bluedaze, what else was going on during the "violent stage"? I'm asking because my husband went through what I called the "grumpy stage". He was grumpy, mean spirited and depressed. Mostly that is over. The only actual violence was because of the driving issue. Except for that he has been pretty much OK since the grumpy stage was over.
My husband's neurologist put him on Trazodone, to be taken at night. This has helped diminish the outbursts, aggression and endless temper tantrums. The neuro also cautioned again using OTC sleeping pills if they are taking Aricept. He said pills ie. Unisom, etc. interfere with the Aricept and it won't be effective. Would be nice if they told us that up front. My husband quit taking the Aricept said it wasn't helping, however he was also taking the Unisom to help sleep. Now he won't go back on Aricept. Trazodone does nothing to help with stubborness. :)
If it helps make you feel better, not everyone goes through a violent stage. We were really dreading it, after hearing so many stories, but it never happened for us. She can be incredibly grumpy and unreasonable beyond belief, but she has never screamed or shouted or gotten physical in any way. She did swear occasionally, quietly, which was totally against her personality.
Oh, actually, I'm mistaken...there was one "physical" episode. One night, she didn't want to go to bed, and I was about to fall asleep standing up. We had gone back and forth about "yes you will", "no I won't" for a few minutes, and I reached the end of my rope. I reached over, placed my arms under her armpits, and lifted her to standing position. Then I firmly yet kindly led her to the bed and put her to bed.
It worked so well, that two nights later when the same fussiness started up, I did the same thing. But this time, as I stood her up, I felt something brushing my foot. I looked down, and she was STOMPING MY FOOT!!!!! I looked at her and she had a really angry look and was looking down just stomping away for all she was worth!! But she has lost so much weight, it felt like a feather duster!
I couldn't help it; I burst out laughing at her absolutely adorable attempt to exact revenge. It was so pathetically cute to see her trying to regain her independence in the only way that was available to her.
My DH went through a violent stage. He went from the memory care facility to a locked hospital ward. The doctors explained that sometimes when a person is going from one stage with AD to the next they can get very aggressive. He was on Paxil, Seroquel, Razadyne and Namenda before all of that. Depakote was added along with Zyprexa and Ativan.
When he was in the psych ward he had several aggressive episodes one of which he threw a chair at a nurse. They medicated him down to a wheelchair and a zombie that couldn't feed himself, nor could he really talk. When they felt that they had him undercontrol, we searched for a place to take him. Many places would not take him because of his history with aggression. I finally found a place that is really terrific for him. They took lowered his meds and took him off others. He was up walking again and getting into trouble and able to feed himself. He never went back to being able to talk in a way that makes a whole lot of sense besides the occassional flashes.
The entire aggression episode was about 6-8 months.
He never did go back to where he was before it all began but he is in a good place now.
Starling-sorry I didn't get back to you but I've been out. Therrja''s experience was the same as mine. We had to bring DH down to a zombie state before any facility would keep him. He was a danger to himself, staff and other residents. Not a fun time. At present he is sweet and everyone's "pet". of course he doesn't have a clue who I am. His meds have been much reduced at my insistence.
Oh, Lord, my husband just blew up because I asked him if I could see the contract for the company he is working for. I was concerned he wouldn't get his % if he left, and he has been going on & on about having to find another job. I said, can't we just have a conversation without you screaming? (years ago, he would never have raised his voice.) I just had to walk away. (Again.) I'm thinking I should slip him something, since he won't see a dr. Please, just calm down. There was nothing to get upset about. Thank God I am drugged, otherwise, I couldn't have just walked away. Such a big commotion over just about nothing.
Slipped him something for the 1st time ever. Drank it easily. Hope the FDA or whatever is not monitoring this site. He will be asleep in no time fast. For those who have problems sleeping, melatonin is great. It also helps with aging. It is over the counter, I read a great article 15 years ago in the New England Journal of Medicine. They gave melatonin to old people, and after a while, the gave up their canes, etc. & did great. Having great conversations, etc. After the study was over, they went back to their old selves. I have been taking melatonin ever since then.
Yeah, Val, Big Brother is monitoring the site, and they know your first name, and even the city where you live. They won't have ANY trouble finding you. Bet they're coming to get you, even as you type. :-)
Right after they arrest trisinger for faking the POA. (I did love that story!!!)
Seriously, though, go easy on the melatonin. I had a close friend who started acting really loopy, short term memory was absolutely shot, couldn't focus on her job, etc. Even though she was in her fifties (and this was fifteen years ago, and I hadn't heard of EOAD), I worried that she was developing AD. Turned out she'd decided to self-medicate with melatonin. She claimed it couldn't be the problem, it's perfectly safe, but I insisted she consult with her doctor. Her doctor agreed it could indeed be the problem, told her to stop taking it. She did, problems went away.
Val-are you still talking to yourself (having great conversations). I think melatonin is great for sleep. My gyn also reinforced something else I was taking-magnesium. It is a small muscle (organ) relaxer used to prevent premature labor but also promotes sleep. I have been fortunate to find docs who think as I do-hate prescriptions when not needed. My ophthalmologist suggested flax seed oil for very dry eyes and it worked in a day.
Trisinger, your story brought a smile to my face- thank you for sharing it. Bluedaze, our doctor did tell us it could lose the effect and would need to be adjusted.. or other things tried if this failed. For now I am bursting with joy that it IS working and enjoying every moment of having his personality back! The aggression is so hard to handle. They do things they never would have dreamed of before..tragic. Best of luck to all of you, Nikki
Bluedaze, are you serious about flax oil for dry eyes. I've had severe dry eyes for years. My doctor has tried everything available, even surgery to close the little drainage ducts in the corners of my eyes. It can be cured with flax oil???....I'm on my way to Wal-Mart! I wonder why my doctor has not suggested this.
Trisinger, I also enjoyed your story. Thanks for sharing with us. We need all the smiles we can get.
Psych meds are always a trial and error process even when the problems are not caused by AD. Usually drs. start slowly and at a low dose in case of intolerable side effects or unwanted results. And, with some meds, it takes sometime to build up to a steady dose that is effective.
My DH sees a geriatric psychiatrist for his “mood meds”.
Sunshyne, how about we all turn ourselves in to the authorities? At this point, I'd LOVE a few days in a cell, preferably solitary. Think about it...three meals a day prepared for you, all the sleep you can want, reading a book at your leisure, and someone else cleans the bathrooms.
Meanwhile, I'll have a good laugh as they try to figure out how to handle DW on their own.
We also tried melatonin. She shook it off, no problem. I tell you, if they bottled what she had, they'd probably find a superpower of some sort. Wonder Woman may be able to deflect bullets, but AD Woman can repel any tranquilizer on the planet AND stay awake for 5 days at a time, too!
trisinger, Another reason to start at a low dose-some people have opposite reactions to meds (even with no AD). My DS gets insomnia on benedryl, I get sleepy looking at the bottle. Some people get dizzy on a regular dose of ibuprophen, others get pain relief. It's hard sometimes to predict the results.
Actually, I'm thinking AD (or at least living with someone with AD) is a cure for narcolepsy.
I've never had a problem with the melatonin. Have been taking it for years. trisinger, I loved your post. AD Woman aka AD Wonder Woman. I gave my husband 2 separate Ativans 1mg. which I melted down into his wine. I think I have Wonder Man here. Thought it would put him to sleep, but wonder of wonders, he started blasting music for about an hour before going to sleep. I was on Ativan initiallly to deal with this, so I have a stockpile, no longer use it. I am startled at myself that I would do this, but I couldn't take it any more. It was either me who would be drugged or him. Since it is "his" problem, I thought, go for it. Well, at last, he is sleeping blissfully, and I am wired from the experience. Hope no one turns me in! I was desperate.
When DW started to balk at taking meds, we had to get creative. One night I melted the pill in ice cream, which she loved. She snarfed it down, and then told me she didn't want that flavor anymore!
I hid it in pudding once. She kept looking in her bowl, and then over at mine, and asking, "Does yours taste funny?" Of course she remembers THAT and then she never ate pudding again!
Our best effort was the Jello. It was quite ingenious. You make Jello liquid, make it a little strong, more like Jigglers. Pour the jello liquid into the 7 day pill container (the little plastic boxes all in a row?), and shove the pills in. If you get it right (you'll learn), the pills dissolve into the jello. Put it in the fridge, and let it set. Then every day you take out the box, and carefully run a fork or butter knife around the edge. Sploop! A little cube of flavored drugs pops out, and that's what I'd give her to eat before she got her meal. "Eat your jello, and I'll give you breakfast!" said in a cheery tone usually got the job done.
Stir some sugar into it, too. They love sugary stuff. They hate pills. God, that was hard.
yhc
Of course, it would have been nice if her doctor has just prescribed the meds in a liquid form, which I learned about LATER.
Therrja and bluedaze, when your spouse had to be admitted to a memory care facility, did you bring them home after the agressive period waned or did they remain there. I am having such a battle with myself if I should try and bring him back home and take the risk of the agression not really being over or let him remain where he is. Each day that I visit, he just cries to come home and it is so stressful for both of us and then some days, he is screaming at me for abandoning him. It does no good to tell him that I see him almost daily and I've written the visits on his calendar which ends up in a drawer and also make notes in his daily notebook.
Not that you asked me, but what makes you think he won't scream when you bring him home? My husband just had a screaming espisode last night, have never been tolerant of tempers. I'd say, until he stops screaming & can have a rational discussion about the situation, he's best left where he is.
Look at your previous post on this thread & ask yourself if you want to go back to living that way. I doubt it. Give up the feelings of guilt. It will eat you alive. You think it is stressful now? Remember when he would lock himself in the bedroom & come out screaming. At least now you have a place where you can have some moments of peace.
Gay-after continuous rages and heavy medication my spouse is staying where he is. He is under control and seens content. In speaking to other caregivers they feel their LO's are much happier in the facility where each day is the same. They don't even do well on "outings".
Gay, its so hard seeing them this way but for your safety as well as his now he should stay where he is until they can find the meds that make him manageable-otherwise you will be back and forth and he may become more aggressive knowing whats in store. i feel for you, watching them beg to come home is pitiful and makes one feel so awful. but its for the best for now anyway. my best wishes things turn out better soon, divvi
My wife M had some really bad mood swings about 2 years ago. They were like those described in this thread. It scared me. I asked her doctor if an antidepressant would smooth out her moods. He prescribed Paxil (generic paroxetine) and it worked! She hasn't had a wild mood swing since. That little white pill made the difference between her being able to remain at home or her being placed in a NH.
When my husband first started his rages they gave him Paxil and Zyprexa. When it got worse they gave him Tegritol, which is also for eplilepsy. It calmed him down, but that's when he started to not be able to balance and walk by himself and most of what he was saying quit making sense. Now he is at stage 7 and in LTC - recentlyl he's was crying all the time and there was no way to tell why. The hospice nurse started him on Methedone. Now, he is asleep alot. But when I wake him up he smiles at me.
Beenthere, My husband's problems all started with Absence Seizure activity, before memory problems, he was put on Tegretol which in turned him into a zombie.
After Dx of Schizo-Affective Disorder Hubby was put on Thorazine, and then when he started having bouts of Temper (like seisure of the Temper Center) triggered from small things. he was put on Tegretol as well. 18+ years later, the Tegretol triggered a false signal in his system telling it to dump the excess electrolytes (no excess) which cause d a drop that was life threatening. After a seconmd event of Elec---drop, the Tegretol had to go. Testing to verify exactly what we were dealing with ID'd the additional Dx of VaD. He now has Lamictal in place of the Tegretol--empoer/agression; and Geodon in place of his Thorazine--mood swings. Ativan is available on an as needed basis when he experiences situations which stress/aggravate him more. He only has that for few days occasionalkly.
If he ever gets to the point where his agitation and mood swings, change into temper/aggression, he will be in the hospital and if necessary NH because I will not be a victim of it. This is not him and he would be apalled if it happened.