Neuro Psych Visit

Caro_Lynne

Hi everyone and Happy Easter, if you celebrate. My last post (which was also my first) was regarding vascular dementia following a bleeding stroke and brain surgery. Although he has not be officially diagnosed, my ex-partner manifests many symptoms of dementia.

Took him to neuro psych on Friday; 2 hour testing session is tomorrow. What the neuro psych took from our first session was that LO is being overmedicated. He is lethargic at times, hallucinates often (sees people that are not there), thinks I'm someone else sometimes, wants to go home often, aggressive towards me often, wonders away sometimes, and other alarming behaviors. Do you think these symptoms could be due to the medication he's on (klonopin, seroquel)? Others are for high blood pressure and cholesterol.

It's difficult for me to believe his behavior is solely due to medication. Any of you have insights into what he is going through? Hopefully the neuro psych will be able to give me a diagnosis. Here just seeking support and advice/information. Thank you,

Jo C.

Hello Carolynne and welcome. This is certainly a challenge, but you are doing the very best thing by having NeuroPsych to assess your Loved One (LO). After thorough exam and testing, that will in all probability give you the best information as to causation.

Meds can indeed be problematic and cause dramatic changes in a LO, however; your ex-partner has a complex history and it is going to take time and research to find out what is causing the changes. Sometimes it is one thing, other times it can be multiple different causes acting together.

He is blessed to have you by his side as his carer and his advocate. Let us know how things are going, we will be thinking of you.

J.

GwendolynD

Hi Carolynne,

My Mom has probable Lewy Body Dementia and as a result she is VERY sensitive to medications. Over last November/December, she caught a couple of colds and self medicated with some multi symptom cold medications. I could not believe how much a cold medicine affected her. She lost her ability to walk, was hallucinating a LOT more than she normally does, and was incontinent for weeks.

Prior to that, she had medication for chronic pain (a prescription she had for a very long time) and that affected her even worse.

Once she was diagnosed with probable Lewy Body Dementia, we got rid of the problematic medicines and moved her in my home. She really was at the point that she could not live alone at all. During the last few months, Mom also got the proper testing to support a diagnosis. This involved blood work, MRI of the brain, and the Neuro-psych evaluation. All of this took some time, but we got confirmation that my Mom has probable Lewy Body Disease with Alzheimers. There is no cure for her condition, but at least now I can read up on what to expect and plan for the future. This forum has been incredibly useful to me to learn how to better communicate with my Mom and advocate for her.

Good luck and take care. And use this forum - it really is helpful!

Caro_Lynne

Thank you both for your replies and kind words; it is so helpful and comforting to read others experiences. I do not have the report from the neuro psych yet, however, the doctor did state to me "he is so impaired" and is referring me to a neuro psychiatrist that can modify his meds if necessary. When I asked my LO how it went, he said he never wants to go back there, that the doctor was asking him questions that had nothing to do with him; that made me chuckle-cry.

I am going to contact his neurologist to schedule an MRI; hopefully that will give us a clearer insight into what is going on.

I am so thankful for this forum and those that share and offer support. It is a lonely and challenging road we're navigating 💜