Delta-9 for aggression?
Has anyone had any luck with any type of cannibus dosing to help with agression. DH has FTD, and is in memory care. I'm afraid they will not allow him to stay if they can't get his defensiveness and agression under control. He's perfectly fine unless you try and make him do anything he doesn't want to do, i.e., shower, change clothes, let you clean his dirty bottom, etc. etc. He can be the sweetest and silliest person, and then, bam…..the evil comes out. I just don't know what to do.
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Is he taking an antipsychotic like risperidone? When my husband had an increase in agression the doc increased his risperidone dosage and it helped.
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Like @Jeanne C. , we increased antipsychotics for Peggy when she got aggressive. I worried all the time that she was going to get kicked out of memory care for aggression - and when I say I was worried, I mean I was freaking out. It was all the stuff you mention — not wanting to change clothes, not wanting to take a shower, not wanting to eat, etc.
Antipsychotics helped, but she needed more attention. That was when I called hospice. She was probably early stage 7 at that point.
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I started giving my husband a low dose edible of cbd/cannabis for anxiety and agitation. He too has FTD. It mellows him out and makes him tired.
Edit to add: If cannabis is legal in your state, I would recommend going to a dispensary rather than buying Delta-9, which is not regulated.
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Edibles are funny though - you can never tell what you're going to get. I took 1/5 of a gummy from Hello Mood (Delta-9) and I was in a stupor for a day.
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when he was home, he had 25 mg. of Seroquel at noon, and that was all. When he was admitted, they started him on 25 mg. of Seroquel twice a day. Then he was starting to show some aggression so a dr. (not his regular PCP, she was on vacation) increased it to 50 mg. doses, but he wasn't clear to the pharmacy and told them add 50 mg., so he was getting 75 mg. twice a day. I did not know about this, I thought it was just the 50 twice a day. After I questioned his aggression, they told me they noticed he was worse since the increase. Now after connecting with his PCP, she is trying him on no Seroquel, and using Risperodone instead. We'll see how it goes. That was just this past saturday that they were making the switch.
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what were you giving him?
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I went to the dispensary and told the budtender what I needed the cannabis for. He then gave me an indica edible; 10 in a pack, 10 mg each. I cut them in half to give 5 mg to my husband.
FYI payment here is cash only or debit card. The edibles cost $28.00
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Cstrope, I’d be leery of mixing something unregulated while they are trying to stabilize a prescription med too. No predicting how they might interact.
I’m worried that he may end up hospitalized and that the current facility won’t let him return. Hospital per se might actually help, but what would happen from there seems so uncertain and I’m sorry about that.
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first off, I still chuckle every time I hear the term "budtender"! hee hee hee
Secondly, yesterday when my daughter and I were visiting DH, he was just so bad, and today my son went, and he was so good for him. For some reason he is always better for my son. He allowed him to clean his feet, change his diaper and clothes, and even chuckled a bit. Yes…..my son had to change his diaper, as my daughter and I did yesterday too. The staff avoids doing it because they said he's too aggressive and difficult, but we are always able to get it done with minimal problems.
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I was wondering….do they allow cannabis in memory care?
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We were using 20mg CBD : 1mg THC gummies, helped a little for short times. 5mg THC is a likely to produce a moderate high in someone with no prior usage/tolerance. Definitely coordinate with medical team because there can be drug interactions and side effects like low blood pressure.
DW endured two rounds of psychiatric hospital before getting stable enough that one MCF having a special program for behaviors accepted her. Currently on 500mg seroquel along with 20mg escitalopram, after unsuccessful trial with depakote. There should be an answer with right meds, may take some time and effort to find effective combination. MC may not have patience to work through this and push for hospital which is what happened to us.
In AZ the MC had no objection to edibles, but would not accept smoking/vaping.
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Not in WI. But if I thought it would do magic, I'd sneak it in and give it to him every morning if I had to!!
thank you for your detailed list of what worked for you. Basically, he went from 25 mg. of seroquel at home, to 50 mg. at the MC, then increased to 150 mg., and last weekend a switch to risperadone. All in 6 weeks! I look at pictures and videos of him from Mid March and I can't believe what has happened in the past 8 weeks
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Yes cannabis can be very helpful and a gamechanger. Dr. Sulak has developed a product line called Respite Gummies for the behavioral challenges such as these. Healer CBD.com / Respite
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I am doing the exact same thing. Same dose too. DW was combative swing fist and trying to kick me. Late Stage 6. Now I give her half a gummy three times a day. She is mello and relaxed. We are in Arizona and it is legal here. I think it is better than the chemical conconctions big Pharma pushes. Just my opinion. She is happy again and so am I.
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Just an update. Dh is now on Risperidone and Clonazepam. He has gone from aggressive, to zombie state. Not sure if I like what they're doing to him. When I visit now, he doesn't even turn around and look at me, and last night they couldn't even get him to eat dinner. He ended up snacking on a bowl of goldfish crackers. I'm just sick over the change……all in just 2 months. The facility thinks its great, they don't have to pay any attention to him now.
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The dosages have to be titrated to the best dosage.
Iris
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Hard to know if his current state is from the medication or dementia progression or a combination of both. If it is from the medication, he may adjust to it and improve or the dosage may need to be titrated downward.
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there frankly isn’t much difference to the body between a “natural “ prep like a cannabis gummy or a pharmaceutical pill. But the manufacture of the pills is much more carefully regulated, so you know exactly what is being administered. Because of individual metabolic differences that we can’t really measure, it all remains a trial and error experiment. My physician bias remains to go with the more regulated and studied preps, and I am particularly reluctant to mix OTC meds with prescription medications without very careful input.
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It would be nice to see a trial of thc and/or cbd for the treatment of agitation/aggression associated with dementia.
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agree. The only prescription form is epidiolex, which has an fda indication for refractory seizures. But it would be the ideal candidate for a trial because of the carefully controlled manufacture and dosing.
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THC used to be available as a drug called Marinol. I understand it was just discontinued this year.
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yes it was minimally effective. I had some experience with it and it was very unimpressive
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My husband responses well to edible Canabis. It mellows him right out.
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My DH has FTD/Alz and takes Risperidone. He is never aggressive but often agitated, especially during sundowning. We also use small amounts of gabapentin for sundowning. The Risperidone works well but sometimes has to be adjusted up or down. If he gets drowsy, I give him a little less the next time. He’s at home so it’s easy to monitor his moods. Maximum dose per day is 2mg divided into 2 or 3 doses. I very rarely have to go to 2mg.
We’ve never tried the gummies because the Risperidone works well. But I know several people who’ve had success with them.
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I use edible cannabis with my husband for aggression and it really helps, but I still did have to place him because the situation was dangerous. The MC unit actually dispenses his edibles, but I have to supply them from the dispensary.
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I don’t bother with Delta9 anymore Too many added chemicals
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I just stick with great weed and gummies
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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
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