Hyperactivity

KatieKat1

Husband is quite hyperactive with this disease.  Seroquel does not seem to address this situation.  Have you found that your LO is more hyper with this disease?  Have you found any solutions to this?  Wandering or pacing is normal but never sitting down?  To be honest, I would rather DH slept more. Maybe this is something I just have to deal with but it does wear me out mentally.

zauberflote

Katiekatt, you will receive more expert answers than mine, because neither Mom nor MIL attempted to do this. Mom was in a small, two-wing MC, and a number of other residents paced unceasingly. They were on the younger side, 50's through 70's, as opposed to the senior residents such as Mom, who was in her early 90's. There were a couple of wheelchair guys who wheeled around all day, too. One of them could often be found apparently asleep in the middle of the hallway.

RobOT

Hi Katie, sounds like a lot to deal with.  This is common, however it tends to be a phase of the disease, not something permanent.  I imagine a week of this could seem like a year.  Does he sleep for normal periods, or does this go on for more than a normal length of wakefulness?  Can you keep him in a relatively safe area?  One solution might be taking him for walks to tire him.  If there's a sidewalk with a grade start him down hill and wind up walking up hill, this will tire him out the most.  Another solution can be giving him something simple to do like folding towels or sorting nuts and bolts--this one is for someone pretty low level, but works well for males. Hope this helps.

4Grams

KatieKat1,

My husband started the pacing and walking about a month ago. Neurologist gave him Depakote 125 mg twice a day. Did not help. Then took him off Aricept and Namenda. Increased Depakote to 250 mg twice a day. Some days he is not walking as much. He has gotten very feeble. HATE this disease. 

ButterflyWings

KatieKat -

We have this problem sort of...not random pacing and standing constantly, but definitely ALWAYS wanting to go and do. DH is up and downstairs, "looking through things" (rummaging), pulling books or files out and leaving them all mixed up and in various places throughout the house. So, I truly have to watch and even follow him at all times. Line of sight. That means, yes, it is mentally exhausting as you say. He is extra busy, doing nothing really, and not willing to be redirected to tasks that seem frivolous or don't make sense to him like random folding or sorting. (He thinks he is managing his office from the house, and sorting or shuffling through papers and rearranging things all day is his way of managing the business.) 

I work part time from home, (sometimes not very well) and honestly don't know how long that can last. Also, he is not reliable to sleep on any kind of schedule, despite seroquel and even 10mg of melatonin given to help him sleep through the night, so I can get some rest too. It is just a random activity and sleep (nap) schedule round the clock right now, and while we are getting by as long as his hallucinations and delusions are in control from the seroquel and sertraline (depression/mood stabilizer)...just "getting by" is a heck of a way to live. Right now, I was awakened at 3:30am --  he thought it was time to get up. So...turned every light on, radio(s) in 2 rooms and we were up until I could redirect him to bed around 4:30a. Even then, had to watch a short film clip together, to get him to stay there, and I dozed off for maybe 30 minutes. He kept asking me random questions until I finally just got up & prepared breakfast. So, here we are. By the time he takes a nap so I can do some work, I will still be tired too, but I have to work while he sleeps. Aarrgh! 

Part of our issue is, his sundowning starts around 3pm so administering his evening meds starts early as well. I have taken all caffeine out of his diet even substituting decaf in the "real" coffee container, since he will still try to make it himself sometimes. I don't want to medicate him to the point he is really sedated or feeble as that will bring other troubles, but boy do I hear you loud and clear. *Also, in addition to diet, check his meds for any stimulants or side effects that might contribute to the hyperactivity. I was shocked that giving melatonin as a sleep aid can actually cause the opposite effect!

KatieKat1

Butterflywings.....thank you so much for your response and to know someone else has some of these issues going on with the person they care for.. My husband does much of what you mentioned concerning your DH in your post.  Contacted the doctor and he said to cut back on the Seroquel.  Today he had one 25mg a.m., one at 3 p.m. and one at 9 p.m. plus one 5mg Buspirone.  I could not believe he was so much calmer and less pacing and rummaging.  If he is like this every day I could deal with it better, but tomorrow is another day and we will see how it goes.  He even took a 2-hour nap that is very unusual because he wants to be on the go all the time.      I have to watch everything he does and follow him because he can get into so much mischief. If we find that the 5 tabs of seroquel (total 125 mg for the day) ...that were spaced out...are the cause of more agitation and restlessness, then that may be part of the issue. DH was put on the 125 mg per day due to combativeness and getting up in the middle of the night to wander and put all the lights on, rummage, wanting to go outdoors in the dark, and of course expects me to get up also. The doctor said that meds change during the course of the disease and maybe husband needs an adjustment at this stage or a change in current meds.  Depakote is next on the list but i am hoping no more meds are needed and maybe just an adjustment to what he currently is taking.  It is exhausting and frustrating trying to keep up with this.  Caregivers outside of me have not been welcomed by DH. So I have to rely on daughter... When available, and myself to deal with this.  I have tried some of Teepa Snow's suggestions but have not had success with much of it because DH is very head- strong and stubborn.