My wife is drug proof

Just Bill

My wife is in the non stop motion stage of her disease. She was prescribed Ativan to help with her agitation/restlessness. She is like the terminator she just keeps getting up and wandering. I think she could take Fentanyl and still keep getting up. I can get her to sit for about 2 minutes and she has to get up and walk around. She is hallucinating heavily, she keeps reaching out for someone or something that isn't there. She has fallen 3 times. Nothing keeps her down. She is mumbling and stumbling and all I can do is hover so I can catch her before she falls again. She has a thing about walking with one shoe or one sock on very strange behavior. Any attempt to steer her to a chair she says I am hurting her. I was going to shower her today but she is really unmanageable. What a nightmare.

toolbeltexpert

Wow Bill my wife was in the geripsych a d got 1mg and there was no waking her at all. Her tolerance level must be very high?

Just Bill

What is strange is it puts her out for a few hours but she wakes up with a vengeance. She sleeps deep when she sleeps, but when she is awake she is on maximum intensity. It's like she has the urgency of a job that is late but her actions are all nonsense.

Denise1847

Is there a different med that the doctor can prescribed? I sure hope you get some help for her and you. That is not sustainable for you.

Iris L.

Benxodiazepines may cause a paradoxical reaction in some older adults, causing stimulation and agitation instead of sedation.

Iris

Vitruvius

BTW reaching out for something that isn't there can also a result of a PWD's inability to judge distances, often in the extreme. My DW did this and I finally determined she was reaching out to touch something that was quite far away, sometimes a few dozen feet, sometimes a mile away. In her case I think it was also combined with her grossly misperceiving what the object was, often trying to touch a dog that actually a bush many yards away.

jfkoc

Adding to Iris, my husband became worse with Ativan. I would try something else.

Just Bill

I am going to talk to her doctor about taking her off all other meds now that she has graduated to ativan. The antidepressant is obsolete I don't think her brain knows what depression is anymore. The antipsychotics worked as advertised when needed and prescribed but I think her disease has progressed to the point of making those obsolete as well. She still hallucinates. Besides giving her pills twice a day is getting more and more difficult for her. Her symptoms are as bad as ever. I can't see taking her off her collection of meds will make it any worse.

Marta

Consultation with a geriatric psychiatrist is the way to go for finding the right cocktail of meds for your wife.

M1

Bill, she may need hospitalization to get her stabilized. Although you may be reluctant because of her past, it would be fundamentally different than admitting her to a MC facility. The status quo sounds completely unsustainable for both of you.

gampiano

my mom was agitated and had delirium at night. She was up and down constantly and i and the night care giver were soooo sleep deprived. I have to say that valium was more effective for her than ativan , and calmed her down somewhat. I hope that you can find a solution Bill. Ive been reading your posts and my heart goes out to you both.

My mom lived to be 103, and only developed dementia during the final 3 years of her life. It all went south after 100. This is an example of "long life" not being a" blessing," as so many people were telling me.I had to bite my tongue every time that comment was made..

Please keep us posted on and developments.

Maureen

Jo C.

Iris, Marta and M1 have given excellent advice. Iris and M1 are Physicians and Marta is a NP who has been in private practice and now owns and manages at least one and possibly two successful MC homes for persons with dementia. They are all deeply knowledgeable both professionally and personally. They have lived with their own personal and similar journeys in their own lives; they understand.

Does your wife not have a dementia specialist? Marta's input regarding seeing a Geriatric Psychiatrist is wise and would be the best approach to relieve your wife of her terrible state. It is within your power to do so.

Ativan and like meds can indeed cause a paradoxical reaction. At this point with what is happening as described in your writing; to not get your wife to in-person adequate treatment appears to be the worst approach for both of you and as M1 wrote; the situation as it presently exists is not sustainable.

It is also true; if GeroPsych is necessary, it is NOT like MC; she would be able to be assessed on a 24 hour continuum; meds initiated and observed for effectiveness as well as any side effects and adjusted accordingly. Not abandonment, it is simply getting her to adequate care as may be medically necessary.

She and you both deserve far better. This is not a situation with no help available; one may choose to adjust one's approach to obtain a better quality of life for you both.

I so hope relief will soon be found and send good thoughts and hopefulness your way.

J.

Just Bill

Thank you you all for your comments and suggestions. She has a neurologist and he is acting as our dementia specialist. I tried to make an appointment with a geriatric psychiatrist to cross reference her drug cocktail about a year ago and I was unsuccessful. Either they didn't take insurance or they weren't taking new patients. The insurance companies and psychiatrists don't seem to like to work together. Her symptoms stabilized so I didn't pursue it any farther. I will now, thank you all again.