DH with dementia keeps saying he is scared.....

Palmetto Peg · May 23

My DH with dementia - I think late stage 5 or early stage 6, keeps telling me that he is scared. He will actually be shaking with fear sometimes, but he can't tell me what he is afraid of. I reassure him that I am gong to take care of him, but he is still frightened. It happens sometimes when we are walking down a hall and he will stop completely and try to turn around and go the other way. Is he hallucinating and seeing things that aren't there? How can I help him? He takes Abilify and clonazepam, but many of the other meds that might help him are out because he has a cardiac condition that they make worse. I feel so helpless and so bad for him! Thanks so much for any suggestions!

Gator1976 · May 23

our psychiatrist took my wife off Abilify as it has too many bad side affects and put her on Prozac.

Quilting brings calm · May 23

His brain is broken. He can’t trust what he sees or thinks. He can’t take care of himself. He’s afraid because he doesn’t understand his world. My mom was like that - always anxious and depressed. We had to experiment with medications. Settled on sertraline and mirtrazipine. When she went on hospice ( and found out she was on it), she got scared again. The hospice nurse added generic Xanax.

fesk · May 23

If there are any mirrors or pictures of other people that might be frightening him. He may no longer recognize himself in the mirror and think someone else is there - pictures of people he no longer recognizes may have the same effect. As always, if it is a new behavior rule out a UTI or other medical issue.

GothicGremlin · May 23

Have you tried sertraline (zoloft)? When my sister was around that stage, she frequently told me that she was afraid in much the same way that your DH does. She could never tell me why, only that she was afraid. Her doctor recommended sertraline, and it helped for quite awhile. I don't know if sertraline is harmful to people with cardiac issues.

Carl46 · May 24

Peg, I understand your feeling of feeling bad for your LO. I feel the same for mine.

In Stage 5, my wife said she was afraid she was losing her mind and afraid she was going to die. Since these weren't delusions, we didn't attempt to medicate but I reassured her I was with her. In Stage 6 in MC, she is distressed that she doesn't know where she is and doesn't know where she is going. Zyprexa and sertraline help with agitation, but her distress at her inability to think clearly remains.

Palmetto Peg · May 24

I will talk to his doctor about the Abilify and ask about Sertaline. He took that in the past, but they took him off it when they started the Abilify. I don't know about Zyprexa, but I will look it up. It is just so sad to see this strong, confident man become afraid of things that aren't there. I want him to have some peace, and it is hard to find for him. I'm spending more time with him to try to provide reassurance, and I know he feels better when I am there. I think he probably does know in some way that he isn't the person he was. I'm going to have him look in the mirror today and see if he knows who he is looking at. If he doesn't, I will ask the staff to cover the one in his bathroom. They don't have mirrors around the common areas, and I guess that is why. Thank you all for your input!

DH with dementia keeps saying he is scared.....

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