My 91 year old Dad (who suffers from vascular dementia) has been living in AL for about a year and a half. I live and work in another state (500 miles away), but I’m able to visit him for a week each month, during which time we go back to his house and take little trips to his favorite spots, ball games, fishing, or to visit relatives out of town.
He had been having audio hallucinations (hearing voices) that would keep him awake and cause him to attempt to go outside, both at the AF and when I’m staying with him at the house. A few months ago, I took him to his physician (who checked for a UTI, which was negative), then prescribed a low dosage of Seroquel. This had almost no effect. We went back to his behavioral neurologist who increased the dosage to 50mg. The AL staff told me that it helped him a lot with the hallucinations, but he now sleeps more. I noticed the same thing when I've stayed with him on my last few visits. I think he would sleep all day if I didn’t wake him to take medicine, eat, or do activities/appointments. Once he’s up, he is alert, oriented, and able to do whatever we to do. He doesn’t seem groggy or drugged, and the hallucinations are much less frequent. Dad doesn't complain and says he's OK with sleeping.
Does anyone else have this experience with Seroquel? The doctor said it would probably make him drowsy, but this is more sleeping that I expected. I’m thinking it’s a good trade-off, because the “voices” were really bothering him and keeping him awake.
Or, it could be because he’s 91 year old heart patient and he’s just tired?
My mother 89, has vascular dementia which was not into the hardest or advanced phase until she fell and was in an out of hospital - psychosis worsening with behavioral changes in hospital and medications.
Seroquel was added and it seemed to stop most of the screaming etc - hallucinations still present...shes making no sense and its not doing much - she is in a twilight psychosis so I cannot give more feedback as it has been a wk on seroquel.
My heart goes out to you and your family
but when my mom(dementia) was repeatedly hearing music and TV noise (in evening), when there was NONE. . . the AL said take your mom to see her Dr.
I did - and you know what Dr did? he cleaned out my moms ears.(yeah there was wax) Then Dr. sent out a authorization for a referral for a hearing test. We went and she did ok I guess. They said she ~could~ choose to get a hearing aid. I choose no hearing aid.
I read online about musical ear syndrome. (because I found it so weird my mom was hearing things)that means you have a hearing loss and then you develop auditory hallucinations. I don't know if its true or not. But my mom eventually stopped complaining about it thank goodness.
im not saying anyone does or doesn't need medication. just how my moms Dr (not a geriatric at that time) handled her issue.
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