Dementia’s and the vaccine

smbren

My LO has Alzheimer’s and VD.  Experiences agitation, depression, psychosis, delusions and has meds for these.  

We’ve made some changes to dosages recently due to agitation increasing.  

After the second vaccine shot, I am seeing an extreme increase in agitation.  Has anyone experienced this?   Wondering if it is temporary as many other side effects one may feel.  I don’t want to go to the doc and discuss increasing dosages prematurely.  

Anyone else seeing this or having heard of this from the vaccine?  

From someone in crazy town 

ebplionis

That is odd, so sorry that happened.  We did not have that problem, but that doesn't mean the two aren't related.  Perhaps the increase in agitation is because she is experiencing some side effects she's not verbalizing, like soreness, fever etc?

I understand the hesitancy  around bringing her back to the doctor if their first instinct is to increase the meds, but they probably would want your feedback, because maybe she is having a more severe reaction, or something else is going on. The doctor probably will have heard from other patients if they are experiencing similar symptoms after the shot. I don't know if this is unusual, but my mother's doctor will often consult with me over the phone and not have a full visit when I have a question or concern.  That way she knows what's happening and can decide from there if a more comprehensive eval is necessary. 

Good luck, and I hope she feels better.

-Beth

smbren

She is feeling better from the normal side effects today.  The 'edginess' is still there, elevated from norm.  

We do have a regular visit later this week with her doc.  And I do have direct access to the doc as well which has been ever so helpful. 

Part of my concern is every time something causes the agitation to start increasing, it seems to be rather permanent.  Such as when memantine and donezpril were introduced and then slowed dialed back and removed.  But the increased agitation stayed at a higher level and we had to increase the meds that help with that.  (Hindsight makes me wonder if we should not have tried those, but you want to try whatever may help).  Obviously, the increased agitation may just be happening with the progression of the disease, just timing is always very coincidental for the increased agitation but when we dial back whatever the change was, the agitation remains at an increased level.  

ebplionis , Like you, I have been thinking it may be her not understanding the other side effects fulling and frustration with that is causing the increased agitation.  My hope is that it is a temporary thing.

I will be giving the doc a detailed update before the visit, and my observations from the vaccine will be included, and I will reach before if needed too.