DH has been shouting and calling out for eleven hours, from 9:30 pm until now, 8:30 am. Current meds. are Seroquel 50 mg. every morning, Seroquel 50 mg. at 3:30 pm, Seroquel 100 mg. with supper, and Seroquel 100 mg. at 9:30 pm. This worked for three nights…with a little more calling out the second and third nights… but now he's obviously become immune to it again. Just curious…what do you all give your spouses to get them to sleep at night?
A good night's sleep for DH has been elusive much of the time sine he's had dementia (before he slept like a rock). We've tried many different meds - trazodone (has helped many on this website but not DH), lunesta (although not recommended for people with dementia), increased Seroquel (400 mgs thruout the day), Neurontin, clonopin, Ativan PRN, melatonin.
Although not 100% perfect, the current evening combo is 1200 mgs Neurontin, 150 mgs of Seroquel, 0.5 mgs of clonopin and 10 mgs of melatonin. Ativan 0.5 mgs PRN if he wakes up and becomes restless. We are lucky that he tolerates the Neurontin well with no side effects. This combo works for him most of the time. I know others will think "that's a lot of meds" and it is but without it he just doesn't sleep which is an issue for the live-in caregiver and it was when he was in the NH rehab. They even called me at 11:00 pm a few nights to come in and calm him.
Remember my husband has FTD (Alzheimer's on steroids) and is 64, strong and in good overall health. It's like trying to take down a rhino.
Trazadone helped a lot. At times sleeping pills would have no effect, at other times ambien and sonata has helped. Which drug worked seems to change with progression of the her dementia.
My husband's daily meds included donepezil and levitiracetam so I don't know if that affected his sleep meds. He also took lorazepam, 1mg tid or qid. His go to sleep med was zolpidem ex @ 12.5mg. These were the meds at home.
Once he was placed the Aricept and Keppra were discontinued and he was put on risperidone. I don't know the dosage or frequency. I remember there was some discussion about that med v Seroquel and he was never put on Seroquel. I believe he remained on the Ativan and Ambien. Previously (at home) he could not tolerate Aricept @ 23mg or Depakote (I don't remember the dose). I don't know how what he took and what he could not take affected other decisions but I believe he really needed the lorazepam and zolpidem.
Edited to add that my husband had FTD; before the disease took over he was very healthy and strong; he was vegetarian and practiced yoga daily.