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The anger issue

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Pat Coughlin
Pat Coughlin Member Posts: 19
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in Caring For a Spouse or Partner

My DW’s dementia is progressing to the point where she will need to move out of our home to a MC facility. She gets increasingly angry with everything, and I can’t imagine how she will handle the move. Will the anger subside as her dementia continues progresses? Can medication help?

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  • harshedbuzz
    harshedbuzz Member Posts: 5,405
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    @Pat Coughlin

    I would encourage you to see a geri psych or her neurologist about some medication to dial back her anger. It will be hard to find a MCF that would be willing to offer her a room is she's angry to the point of aggression.

    HB

  • RetaMeta55
    RetaMeta55 Member Posts: 28
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    There no clear answer to this. It varies from individual to individual and medication to medication. You first need to find a doctor with is willing to prescribe an antipsychotic. From my experience the doctor started with an antidepressant. When he started to see a Psychiatric Nurse practitioner they chose to discontinue the first antidepressant and start on another. Unfortunately my LO refused to take this medication and I found he was spitting it out. The Psychiatric NP and his Neurologist refused to prescribe any antipsychotic. After a stay in rehab my LO’s anger and aggression was more intense and was placed back on the first antidepressant. That really didn’t help. Fast forward, after a stay in a Geri Psych unit of a hospital it was decided to discontinue the antidepressant and start on an antipsychotic. In the end he was discharged from the hospital and placed in an ALF. He is doing much better.

  • Dio
    Dio Member Posts: 833
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    Agreed about getting the right med(s) to calm her anger before moving into memory care. It'll be so much harder to titrate meds in the facility. There's no straight answer on which medication will work for her, as everyone is different. Is she on any meds now?

  • tboard
    tboard Member Posts: 112
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    https://alzconnected.org/discussion/73383/the-anger-issue

    I am having the same issue. My DH is angry all of the time and has frequent temper tantrums. He threatens to hit me but he isn't fast enough. His doctor doubled his anti depressants and started him on a new drug that seems to just make him sleep. I was hoping for awake but not angry. Like you I can not imagine how anyone would be able to care for him in a facility. He is so mean and always angry.

  • Pat Coughlin
    Pat Coughlin Member Posts: 19
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    https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/246755#Comment_246755
    https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/246755#Comment_246755

    Her GP prescribed two different medications to help her memory loss but she said they bothered her and she quit them. She was already on paroxetine for anxiety

  • Pat Coughlin
    Pat Coughlin Member Posts: 19
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    Thanks!

  • Palmetto Peg
    Palmetto Peg Member Posts: 267
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    The only thing that has calmed down my DH is an antipsychotic. We tried all the antidepressants and I found they made him more agitated! The antipsychotic helped enough that I was able to place him in a MC facility. There was no way anyplace would have accepted him before. Good luck - it is all hard, but aggression and anger is especially hard. Stay safe!

  • papascott
    papascott Member Posts: 1
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    My wife was like this last year. I had to get an order of protective custody, the police took her to the hospital and she was evaluated. She stayed in the psych unit for a few weeks while they got her meds straight. Since she got out in Jan we don't have near the aggression or paranoia.

  • H1235
    H1235 Member Posts: 1,005
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    Medication may help, but it’s tough to get figured out. In my experience the dose is started low then increased after several weeks, then possibly again after several more weeks. If that particular medication doesn’t work or there are unwanted side effects, the dose is slowly decreased then the whole process starts over with a new medication. Moms pcp was reluctant to prescribe these medications. Thankfully the doctor at AL was willing, but it has been a long road. If her pcp can’t prescribe something maybe they can refer her to someone who can. It’s possible a MC unit may not accept her until anger issues are resolved ( depending on the severity). Medication does not need to turn her into a zombie. Also keep in mind that some facilities have a waiting list to get in. I hope you can find a solution.

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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