Anxiety(3)

Rjheld

My DH has always had some anxiety in his life, now he seems to have it all the time and cannot even say why.  He says it is driving him nuts.  Any suggestions on how you handle anxiety with your LO?

Thank you.

M1

Hi Rj.  Is he on medication?  He will probably need to be.  As much as we would like to support non-medication ways of coping, this is probably reflective of the brain deterioration he is experiencing, and medication is going to be a crucial part of the solution.  With dementia unfortunately he loses the capacity for cognitive behavioral approaches to work.

jfkoc

Please do contact your husbands neurologist for possible drug treatment.

Iris L.

I don't have AD but I can speak on this issue.  When I thought I might have AD, I felt great anxiety--great, overflowing anxiety!  I was anxious because I knew I could not handle any type of situation that might come up.  I felt totally helpless!  That was a horrible time for me.  Over a long time, I began to realize that I wasn't totally helpless.  

I would surmise that your LO feels helpless, and that is why he is so anxious.  As an adjunct to medical treatment, please give the treatment of comfort and reassurance.  Let him know that you are there to pick the broken pieces of his life and to cover the gaps in his mind.  You don't have to use those terms (broken pieces) because they can be triggering.  Use comforting words to let him know he won't be abandoned to the wolves, like I was.  I believe that will help.  

Iris

Rjheld

He is on medication, he takes Zoloft, Xanax and Serequol.  Just started the serequol last month.

dayn2nite2

The doctor didn't just prescribe and leave the follow-up to you, right?  And is this a psychiatrist who prescribed?  If Seroquel was added, they should have offered a follow-up in a month to see how he's doing.

If no appointment was scheduled, then please call the psychiatrist and make an appointment.  Often these drugs need to be tinkered with for dose and combination before something that works is found.

jfkoc

Seems like sometimes it is impossible to get the right drugs. Here is a drug interaction for what is being taken;

https://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=2057-1348,133-54,1979-1274

Rjheld

Thank you for your reply, I am finding better answers here than I could have imagined.  The neurologist that is the research person is who prescribed the serequil and she wanted to know how he was doing.  He was talking with a psychologist but after a month or so, she suggested he see a psychiatrist so he will be seeing one but couldn't get us in for quite awhile. 

This is all very overwhelming for both of us.  He told me over the weekend, I was going to have to start doing some things without him and leave him home.  He is fine to be home by himself but I feel so guilty going and doing things without him, especially since I know he wanted to participate in whatever we do with friends and family.

David J

Back when my wife could still have a conversation, I asked her why she seemed so anxious. 

Me: what’s wrong?

Her: I’m afraid. 

Me: What are you afraid of?

Her: Everything.

Now she is in MC, and she seems content most of the time. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think can hold a thought long enough to be afraid. 

rlpete

My wife started showing anxiety well before she was diagnosed. I think subconsciously she knew something was wrong with her. We have been through lots of different medications trying to find something that didn't drug her but gave her relief. She is now on generic Proxac and that helps. 

We also use THC gummies in very low dosage on an as-needed basis when the anxiety gets too much. Her family doctor said there weren't studies to prove they work in her case but go ahead and try it. I don't know if it is placebo or really helps but that does calm her when the anxiety is especially bad.  

ImMaggieMae

We’ve found that medications sometimes need to be changed or updated, even after a short time. Something that’s working today may not be helping a month from now. Talk with his neurologist or prescribing doctor and have him seen if you can get an appointment. Along with medication, keeping his environment as calm and routine as possible seems to help here. Music can help with relaxation as well for many people.

Jeff86

Earlier in our AD journey my DW experienced anxiety.  The conversation David quotes is literally word for word the same conversation I used to have with my DW.  

She was prescribed Olanzipine and escitalopram (Lexapro).  After a couple of years, the Olanzipine was discontinued because of long term side effects.   More recently, DW seems to experience less anxiety (the upside of disease progression?), and we tapered the escitalopram, now down to zero.  With no noticeable effect.

Moral of the story—better living through chemistry.  I was always pharmaceuticals-averse until I witnessed my DW’s distress.  AD changes us as well as our LO.