Seroquel(Quetiapine)

ChrisVoorhis

My DW Dr has her on 4(25mg) seroquel for sleep at night, which is working great. Prescribed by her psychiatrist. Her Alzheimers Dr wants her to get off because it could be making her digress faster. Wants her also off her Cymbalta(120mg) which she has been taking for 30 years so she can get on amitriptyline to help with her sleep and many bathroom trips. The psychiatrist says amitriptyline is way to dangerous at her age(75) and has significant heart risks . Now i am between 2 respected Drs on what to do.

Psychiatrist says she already is in late stage 6 and trying to help her cognition at this point by a risky medication is not a good idea. Her Alzheimers Dr says seroquel is making her loose her memory faster, she has been a Als patient for 11 years now. How do i choose which Dr is right?

M1

Chris the only thing I would weigh in on is that I would agree that amitriptyline carries way too much risks. Has tons of side effects. What's to be gained in cognition at this point? If the Seroquel is working I'd leave it alone. I guess I vote with the psychiatrist. Playing devil's advocate, does she really need a dementia specialist at this point? Sounds like you're in palliative territory.

ChrisVoorhis

That was the point of psychiatrist, there is no real cognitive improvement at this point. I also agree is needs palliative carexat this point butWHERE DO YOU GET THAT?. I have looked everywhere and nothing available near me

jfkoc

Many Hospices offer Pallative care.

ChrisVoorhis

Do you need a referral to get hospice palliative care.

Chris

Lills

No, you can call hospice to come for an evaluation, at least you can in Minnesota.  

Good luck,

Bundy

My husband has been put on Seroquel recently by a neurologist and I don't know if it is really helping him as he seems to be talking more nonsense and it seems like his anger toward me is getting worse. He says I am not his wife and he is always trying to pick a fight with me and will raise his fists like he is going to hit me, So far that has not happened and I have started to ignore him when he wants to argue with me about something.  He is in late stage as he started showing  signs around 2012. He is on several different medications and I worry that something might be inferring with the Seroquel, even though the neurologist had a list of all his meds. Anyone else noticed an unsettling change after adding the Seroquel?

freelancer

Seroquel seems to work well for some people and not others. My DH (vascular dementia) was started on it for sleep (2x25mg), then 25mg more in the morning to try to calm his agitation. It worked for sleep, but he was still agitated and angry, and after he got violent, was switched to olanzapine (Zyprexa). That works for both sleep and moods. After he tapered off seroquel, I noticed that he was no long unsteady on his feet. That had been getting worse and worse, so I think the seroquel must have affected his balance.

He later also started on depakote (divalproex sodium) for his moods, but that didn't help him sleep, so he's still taking the olanzapine.

Paris20

My husband’s angry outbursts were becoming intolerable. His neurologist started him on 25mg of Seroquel. DH is now up to 75 mg. I don’t know how I could have managed in the absence of those meds. My husband calms down noticeably on the drug, plus a small dose of antidepressant. Over time the dosage has been increased but I don’t care. Even if the drug hastens the progression of the disease, at some point that becomes a gift. Meanwhile, these meds allow my husband and me to stay in our home and live a tolerable life.