Obsessions

[Deleted User]

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terei

There are meds that can help with delusions

[Deleted User]

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M1

Hi Jennifer. Aricept won't help in this capacity. Terei is referring to other classes of medications that can really help with anxiety (such as the SSRI's like Celexa, Zoloft, lexapro) or atypical antipsychotics like Seroquel, which is probably what she needs from what you are describing. Sounds like you need to talk to her doc about this, and if they are not comfortable prescribing then they should refer you to someone who is. It could really improve quality of life for you and her.

harshedbuzz

@jennifer1995

This doesn't sound like a delusion to my ear. It sounds more like a conflated memory/confabulation.

This is when a person recalls the gist of an actual event, not necessarily something that happened to them, but cannot recall the who-what-where-when-how of it and backfills the gaps with other people, places and/or time. The feelings associated with the confabulation will be real to her.

My dad did this a lot; most of it was ascribing the awful behavior of my late sister to me often to my college-age son which was, um, interesting. Once he was diagnosed and I understood this, I was able to validate the feelings behind the accusation, even apologize if necessary and redirect to manage the behavior.

That said, medication helped a lot. Aricept is taking a butter knife to a gunfight. Ideally, she should see a geriatric psychiatrist for medication management. They're the specialists for psychoactive medication in the elderly/PWD. My dad's geripsych prescribed both classes of medication @M1 mentioned. He took an SSRI and a low dose atypical antipsychotic which worked together to dial back the anxiety and agitation without sedating him. This allowed him to be cared for at home for much longer than he would have been without.

HB

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M1

So sorry it's so difficult, but he did the right thing. I had to buy a locked combination box, my partner was so obsessed with her medications and it was very dangerous. Unless I was with her every minute she would look for pills, go through my wallet, etc. repeatedly. Got so I couldn't leave her alone at all and of course she refused help/supervision. Hence memory care eventually.

I'm glad she's got the appointment next week, hope you can make it until then. Make a list of all these things so the doctor knows the gory details, don't sugar-coat anything. If it really gets uncontrollable, remember the ER and a geriatric psych admission is not the end of the world.