Crying for several hours each day

Kathryn Mc

Hi friends, I have commented on a couple of posts but have not started a discussion. Thank you in advance for reading. My mom who is in LSD cries often. Sometimes it will last for 2-3 hours several times a day. Other days are not as often but all days there is crying at some point. She is physically still ambulatory but can no longer say more than 3-5 words. She talks but it’s jibber ish. So, it is very hard to know why she cries. I have tried so many things to calm her. Redirect , calmly talk to her , hold her had, play music, try to make her laugh, pet therapy , rub her back , brush her hair, leave her alone, take her for a car ride, etc. I’m running on empty. All of the care she needs is hard but I do feel blessed that I am able so far to manage. However the crying is driving me to a breaking point. She takes a low dose of mirtazapine at night and I have recently been adding a dose in the morning. Psych doctor put her on Seroquel, Buspar and a couple of other antipsychotic drugs which made things worse. ( All independent of each other.) she does not take any of them anymore. She does suffer with anxiety and that too has increased. I do not see much anywhere about dementia and crying. Does anyone else have a relatable situation?

housefinch

I’m wondering if she could have something called pseudobulbar affect. I would definitely mention it to her psychiatrist and ask if there’s something he can do to evaluate if she has it, or if she has depression that should be treated with a different medicine than she received before.

https://pbavoices.org/understanding-pba/

BassetHoundAnn

When my mom was in Stage 5 of Alzheimer's the employees of the quasi-assisted living facility called me several times to tell me they found my mom in the hall crying. When they asked her why she said she had gotten word that an old friend had died. No old friend had died. I read somewhere that sudden inexplicable crying can be part of Stage 5. My mom has often been depressed and despondent and it wouldn't surprise me to find her crying, although I haven't lately.

Kathryn Mc

Thanks for the suggestion housefinch. I considered PBA may be to blame but the info I find , says the crying or laughing episodes last a few seconds to minutes. Unfortunately, my mom’s crying episodes can last for hours.

BassethoundAnn thanks for sharing and I am glad your mom hasn’t been crying lately. Perhaps this will pass. Praying it will someday soon. It it so sad to watch 😢

housefinch

That sounds heartbreaking. I’m sorry you and she are enduring this. I hope you find a solution soon.