Depakote or Haldol for agitation and combativeness?

Daughter of a Marine · April 10

I'm reaching out once again to this group of fellow travelers down this road none of us has chosen. My DH is 77 and in stage 6 of his dementia - in Memory Care since last July. He is still quite strong and has become very combative when showering is attempted. Just wondering if anyone has had experience with either or both of these meds and if you found them helpful in calming your loved one? My love has never had an aggressive bone in his body but he has hit two care givers and I'm afraid he's going to be shown the door if we can't bring this under control. I am desperate for some guidance and other suggestions - thank you in advance.

Carl46 · April 10

I think you should talk to his doctor. Different meds might be indicated, depending on interactions with whatever he may be already taking. Your doctor may need to try more than one medication, since different meds affect different people differently. For example, Depakote helps a lot of people but makes some people irritable.

jiffy · April 11

Sounds familiar. My mother with dementia had a good natured caregiver who helped me get her into our shower with a hoyer and wheeled shower chair. After this caregiver left for another assignment, none of the other caregivers could handle her. In my experience haldol was not helpful at all while she was on hospice. Trazadone was recommend but didn't really help either. I take her to the shower and wash her myself now and use distractions to keep her busy, heater to keep her warm and I keep out of striking distance just in case! If I have to move her to facility I assume they will just drug her up. I don't want to do that at home because it makes her impossible to manage for the rest of the day.

SDianeL · April 11

my husband was going into Stage 7 and already on Risperidone AM & PM and then became combative when he became incontinent and when they tried to get him in the shower. He was in a wheelchair already. They had to add Depakote. He then became bedridden and slept most of the time except for meals. They had no choice but to keep him on it. They couldn’t risk him hurting caregivers. Hope they can find the right combination of meds for your DH.

Daughter of a Marine · April 11

Thank you to all who responded. The Hospice aid who showers him suggested giving him an Ativan about 20 minutes before the shower so we're going to try that. I'm worried this will make him a fall risk so if he's too unsafe, we may need to try the Depakote. Any other recommendations are appreciated.

jfkoc · April 11

Any way you can be there for the shower? I would want to see what kind of training the staff has for this.

Daughter of a Marine · April 12

I have been there to assist with the shower and it does go a bit better when I'm there but he still becomes aggressive, holding tightly to my wrists and needing a great deal of cajoling to get into the shower. I think it might go better if it were just the 2 of us although he was resistant (but not combative) when I would shower him at home. We're going to try giving an Ativan before attempting the shower and see if that helps.

SDianeL · April 12

does he sit in a chair to shower?

Dio · April 16

So, my DH is an anomaly who is diagnosed with probable Lewy Body Dementia. Our miracle drug, Depakote, was added to donepezil and seroquel and now he's a completely different person than when he was placed in memory care. He was extremely combative when staff tried to change him out of diaper and showers and anything hygiene related. He had injured one staff and I thought for sure he would be evicted. But the MCF director begged the neurologist to add Depakote…and the rest was history. It did take about 6 weeks before a noticeable change occurred. If we had found Depakote before all his violent behavior blew up, he might not need to be placed in MCF so early and I would not have been traumatized by my husband. I hope you find the right medication.

ProfT · April 16

My LW with advanced dementia is in hospice at a skilled nursing facility. She was restless at night and somewhat combative at times during the day. The hospice nurse recommended Haldol. I googled it and said no; I found it too dangerous. I received support from her gerontologist. Now they treat her with Ativan and Seroquel. I wish you the best.

Depakote or Haldol for agitation and combativeness?

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