How long does agitation/agressive behavior last

Marie67

Hello All,

My lo was diagnosed with Alzheimer's eight months ago. And his agitation/agressive behavior has been there from almost the very beginning.  He's been on serequal for about 3 month, which has barely helped.  Then doctor also added Xanax once a day. Which just seems to sedate him but he still has agitation and aggressive behavior several times each day. Does this phase ever lessen or go away?

M1

Hi marie, i don't know that there's any good answer to your question, it's so variable depending on what parts of the brain are affected. Unpleasant for everyone to say the least. I would keep communicating with his docs frequently, they may have to keep tweaking his meds.

Sligo177

Hi Marie,

I sympathize with your situation, have had a similar one with my DH.  We added Risperidone which worked to reduce his agitation. He's also taking Sertraline, but has been for a while.  I hope you can find the right medication, good luck and have a peaceful evening.

ImMaggieMae

My DH was never aggressive, but experienced a LOT of agitation. Risperidone gets that under control very well. For him, it takes about an hour to start working. It was prescribed in the hospital during an ER visit. It’s been working very effectively for over a year with some tweaks on the dosage. The only other meds he takes are Memantine and Gabapentin for leg cramps at night. He also takes 6m of melatonin at night. He sleeps all night. He is cared for at home.

Sligo177

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that, like MaggieMae's, my DH also takes Melatonin.  It does help him to sleep and we think it takes the edge off his mood, making him a little more relaxed.  And Galantamine.

Jo C.

Hello Marie; I am sorry for what is happening; that is very difficult.

I wonder if your husband's assessment and treatment is being managed by a dementia specialist or a primary MD.  That sometimes can make a difference.

Based on your description, there may be frontotemporal involvement within the brain.  Sometimes meds such as Seroquel needs to be adjusted.   With one of my LOs, he had Seroquel initiated, but it was not sufficient.  The specialist then slightly increased the doseage.  Still not holding well; so the Seroquel at a specific dose was prescribed to be given three times in a day which did very well.   This of course must be managed by the physician; hopefully a dementia specialist.

If you have a dementia specialist, it, may be a good idea to ask whether with the persistent challenges whether the diagnosis needs to be confirmed for Alzheimer's versus FrontoTemporal Dementia versus Lewy Body, versus, etc.  It may make a difference in how and what treatment is prescribed.   My LO was actually misdiagnosed as having Alzheimer's by her Board Certified Geriatrician and things did not go well until I got her to an excellent Neurologist who sees dementia patients as a routine part of his practice.  One SPECT Scan later, the diagnosis was, FrontoTemporal Dementia and meds adjusted to more meet needs which was quite helpful.

I so hope that the physicain will soon be able  to find the best approach for your husband.  Just as aside, sometimes a LO will have behavioral changes due to a urinary tract infection which has been "silent" without overt symptoms or other health issue which possibly may be found from labs.  Also check for constipation which can be a problem that exhibits negative behaviors.

Let us know how you are and how things are going, we will be thinking of you.

J.