Crying question

toolbeltexpert

I have notice my dw cries more and so the nurse, we are wondering if a medicine needs adjusting, she takes 10mg of Lexapro and olanzapine 3 times a day. 7.5mg,2.5mg and 7.5.  She has been in mc for several months. She calms down after I get there and the nurse can get her to stop by changing the subject which she can't identify what is making her cry but I believe she is missing me. When the nurse reminds her I was here she says she doesn't remember that. They have made a suggestion I start writing in a little notebook for dw saying when I was here and when I am going to be back.

Has any one been thru this? Has anyone tried the notebook thing? I would like to avoid a med change. They have a np 1 time a week we will talk next week on Thursday.

I posed this because of the wealth of experience out there.

Thanks I am asking because of the stress if I can call it that maybe grief it causes me as well. 

Stewart

Ed1937

Stewart, I'm not the guy who knows a lot about medicines, but maybe you shouldn't be afraid to try tweaking it with advice from the doctor. There are times when a change is necessary, and the doctor should make the calls on that. Hopefully things will get better.

Quilting brings calm

A medication change can help.  Mom was doing the crying off and on all day too.  She was on trazadone and Xanax.  We dropped the trazadone and added mirtrazapine(Remeron) and that helped the crying and depression a lot.   She still had some depression and lot of anxiety so we’ve added sertraline(Zoloft) and have been weaning her off the Xanax).    Depression and anxiety seem to aggravate the dementia symptoms, so relieving them has helped mom seem better overall.  Normal? - no, oh absolutely no - but better.   She participates in the AL activities more, sounds somewhat better on the phone.

Just Bill

Hey TBE. Learn to embrace med changes. Better quality of life for her and easier managing for you and the staff. Crying sounds like depression. An antidepressant could be a win/win for everyone. Hang in there.

Marta

TBE’s wife is already on an antidepressant at max dose for elderly, and on an antipsychotic at a mid-range dose. 

There is a condition called pseudobulbar affect which can develop when there is significant brain damage of any cause. It results in emotional outbursts (can be crying or laughter) that are out of proportion to the situation.  Nuedexta has been used to temper such outbursts,

M1

Marta took the words right out of my mouth--it may be pseudobulbar and not depression/anxiety per se.  Worth asking about becauase the treatment is indeed different.