Have any questions about how to use the community? Check out the Help Discussion.

Thinking about meds….

LaneyG
LaneyG Member Posts: 164
100 Comments 100 Care Reactions 25 Likes 5 Insightfuls Reactions
Member

While my husband was in the ER there was a day where he did not get his morning meds until 1:30. He was bright, alert, lucid, calm until the late meds kicked in then his nasty side returned. Many of you have been into this journey longer than I have so you probably know. I need to keep in mind that some symptoms may be brought on by too much med or the wrong med. I’m anxiously waiting to see how he is at the end of this hospitalization.

Comments

  • harshedbuzz
    harshedbuzz Member Posts: 4,592
    Seventh Anniversary 1,000 Likes 2500 Comments 500 Insightfuls Reactions
    Member

    It's possible the medication is not working as intended.

    But it's also possible that morning is his "good" time of day. Dad was much calmer/pleasant from wake-up until about 2pm.

    He may have been showtiming. Given that PWD can only maintain the façade of "normal" for a short period, if he'd only been in the ER briefly at that point, showtiming could explain it.

    Most oral medications for mood/behavior are prescribed to offer a fairly steady level in the system. Most are not "fast-acting"-- If his behavior turned not long after he was given his meds, it's very possible what you were seeing was the previous dose wearing off rather than the newly administered one causing problem. Dad too a low dose antipsychotic-- the dose he needed to take the edge off aggression during sundowning was given with breakfast. He was a late riser, so probably closer to noon. If that was skipped, he would have seemed fairly pleasant right up until 2 or 3pm when things would predictably go sideways.

    It's worth discussing with his doctor.

    HB

Commonly Used Abbreviations


DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
Read more