Mom has auditory hallucinations need help
My 96 year old mom has alzheimers and recently has been having auditory hallucinations - she hears the same part of a song over and over ( i can't id the song). this started about 6 weeks ago for 1 day, then again a month later the 14 days later and then 4 days later. it really upsets her. she thinks its coming from a lamp, etc. we have unplugged everything. usually its starts in late afternoon but sometimes late at night. we tried classical music, etc but she doesnt want that. sometimes the light will bother her ( either too much or not enough). she will sometime have another delusions also, worried about "the baby" etc. this is so scary because her first hallucination incidents were when she was in the emergency room ( 3 times) this year. when she was back home she was fine. I thought it was probably due to being in the ER but now i see it is coming more frequent.
We began to give her seroquel "as needed" 25 mg (we had it on hand after the ER in case we needed, both her drs oked us to give it to her if she needs) but i think now she needs to be on a daily dose since this is happening more frequently. I have called the drs, waiting to hear from neurologist but its the holidays . she is in great health otherwise, she takes donepezil 5mg, sertraline 100mg , and 2 blood pressure meds. she lives at her house with 24 hour care. I dont live by her but come 2-3x a week. I just feel sick. Any advice about meds and what to do for the auditory hallucinations? Any experience with seroquel or other drugs for this? we keep her calm, try doing other things, (i.e puzzles, read, etc) massage, etc . I just want to cry i feel so helpless and sad to see her this way. I ordered some ear muffs, going to try that, i have a noise machine i will bring but i dont think she will like it but ill try anything. thank you.
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i can't believe 50 people looked at my post and No one offered any help. Really sucks.
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Seroquel is usually given as a regular dose instead of as needed. I would definitely call her prescribing doctor and emphasize how distressing the hallucinations are. They may want to see her and check her for a UTI etc before assuming it’s the dementia but as long as there’s no other medical cause, they should be able to recommend a daily dose. I’m sorry you’re having to watch her struggle like this.
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PS At 96 with dementia I would strongly consider getting hospice involved and getting their input on whether 2 blood pressure medicines are really necessary at this point.
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It’s my understanding that seroquel taken daily can take a week or even two to take full effect. So I am also surprised it is to be given as needed.in fact at a higher dose I believe it’s important to taper down before completely stopping. Seroquel is an antipsychotic that is used for hallucinations, so given daily at the right dose(may take some time to figure that out) it should help. I would clarify with the doctor. I also agree with considering hospice. I believe there are different guidelines for qualification when dementia is involved.
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In my mother's case (visual hallucinations, paranoia, delusions) Seroquel took over 6 weeks to have much effect, and the dose had to be titrated upward. Don't give up after a couple of weeks.
The sound she is 'hearing' is being perceived by her brain, and is not an audible noise. Earphones and a noise machine will probably have no effect. I have fairly severe tinnitus and 'hear' sounds like electrical hissing and cicadas constantly. Earphones have no effect, they just block out actual noises, making my brain focus more on the tinnitus. For me, a white noise machine made the problem worse because my brain was constantly trying to decipher what it perceived as spoken language. YMMV.
… her first hallucination incidents were when she was in the emergency room ( 3 times) this year. when she was back home she was fine.
This may have been due to hospital delirium, a phenomenon that can occur with older adults, especially if they have dementia. What she is experiencing now is probably progression of the disease.
I also recommend a hospice evaluation. They have been a great benefit for both my mother and my DH (Stage 7 ALZ w/comorbidities).
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thank you for replying. i did have an interview with hospice recently since this post. not ready yet but in the senior program which helps.
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yes, i asked the doctors to reevaluate her seroquel use- now she is on a daily dose which has helped greatly. thank you!
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thank you for replying. she is now on a daily dose of seroquel which has helped, dont want to jinx it but for the past 2 weeks she has been doing great. took a while to get the dosage right for her. We monitor her very carefully for UTI's, i have the sample cups, etc and live down the street from the lab. She takes a cranberry supplement daily which has helped ( and we make sure she drinks plenty of water).
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Hi Ms.Stephanie, I would recommend calling her primary doctor or neurologist again. Tell them it's urgent. I know when I first asked about ceraque for my mom, the neurologist said they don't like to give it unlessa patient is seeing things or hearing things that are causing them fear. If this is the case with your mom, then push for the doctors to prescribe this as part of her regular meds received. Maybe check to see if you have a local ADRC (Adult and Disabled Resource Center) in your area. They may know of services available to help you. I wish you all the best.
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Thank you. she is now getting a daily dose of seroquel that is helping.
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Seroquel helps my mother but Donezepil did not. In fact it made her more “manic.” It upped exit seeking and sorting and gathering. She still hallucinates but the Seroquel definitely reduces it and helps her settle
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The daily dose of seroquel has helped her greatly- thank you for replying. Donepezil at 5mg reply helps my mom. she has been on it for about 15 years, when i first noticed signs of mild dementia. her primary doctor took her off of it about 6 months ago and in 2 weeks she was much worse so I go her back on it and she did much better.
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One thing i have learned so far is you have to constantly advocate for your loved one and do all the research yourself. you just can't rely on doctors alone. I have found help groups ( I.e "constant care"- direct help that can get answers from the doctors much faster than me, "senior solutions" - a nurse will come to the house monthly to check on my mom - through my moms medical provider but only found them through digging online, the doctors never told me about them. Also the situation is constantly changing and you have to adapt as you go. Thank you everyone who replied to this post, it helps to know that other people are out there in the same situation. With Alzheimers it takes a community- sharing knowledge and giving encouragement to caregivers is so important.
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my mom has vascular dementia so doesn’t have this issue. She has had visual hallucinations and we found out it was due to UTI’s. Maybe get a urine sample and see if she has one. Her hallucinations and hysteria seems to subside when we get her on antibiotics. She’s on her 6 round in less than 6 months.
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I see this post is from a while ago, but I am following it. Relatable! I have a 77-year-old mother experiencing auditory hallucinations as well. They renovated the apartment above her with hardwood floors versus carpet and the person above her has a loud walker that clunks all night. Each time she hears the noise of that clunking walker or the person upstairs walking around or listening to the television, she thinks someone is talking about her and has developed a real fear. We are hoping that relocating her to a place that is quieter without someone upstairs will help avoid that trigger, but it has been quickly downhill since the changes upstairs have happened. We’ve tried Seroquel for a few weeks at a low dose of 25 MG first at night now we are trying in one the morning with a half dose at night. I’m interested in finding out more about whether this will be enough to calm her down. She also suffers from anxiety and depression, her whole life and so we have more of a complicated situation. There’s no other way to describe it other than saying that it really sucks and it’s a real heavy load to bear. Many days I feel like I am personally losing my mind so I’m trying to join support groups and take care of myself. No one gives you the exact answer answers. It’s just a constant science experiment to see what works. Hang in there you are not alone.0
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Hello, I'm so sorry about your mom. It has been a time of "lets try this" with my mom, what we are doing now med -wise is 25 mg seroquel at night along with 5mg melatonin and 100mg magnesium. her sleep is much better, no delusions anymore ( fingers crossed). in the AM she takes bp meds, 50 mg sertraline ( she has been on 25 mg seretraline for anxiety (zoloft) for about 30 years, when the delusions started the neurologist upped it to 50). she also takes 5mg donepezil which she has taken for about 17 years ( when she was briefly taken off of this her memory/ demeanor worsened, we put her right back on it and she got back to baseline again). If we need to we will give 25 mg seroquel in the AM if agitated but we only had to one time. All her delusions have stopped now ( hearing music, agitated, seeing things that aren't there). very thankful for this. the neurologist did say people with hearing loss are prone to auditory hallucinations so i got her a OTC hearing aid . that helps a bit when i can get her to wear it! i also tried headphones ( didnt work), earmuffs ( nope) . to me it sound like her anxiety/depression needs to be addressed if it hasn't been already- maybe her doctor can suggest a med or a new med for that. 25mg seroquel is a very low dose also so maybe that needs to be adjusted. Good luck with your mom, please take care of yourself as well!
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I am going through the same thing with my 84 year old mother having audible hallucinations. She lives with me and constantly hears someone in my attic, talking, berating her, and spying on her. She refuses to even try medicines. It sounds like seroquel has helped some of you. I just really don’t know how to help her. :(0
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I was worried my mom might refuse to take it if she was having delusions but she takes it with no problem. it has made a huge difference. there are different forms of it , i researched just in case. there is a liquid form which would be easier if your mom refused to take a pill. perhaps in can be mixed with apple juice or comes flavored. ask your moms physician.
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Commonly Used Abbreviations
DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
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ES = Early Stage
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