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Agitation

My DH has recently had episodes of being delusional and gets agitated because he’s so confused. Does anyone know if there are medications that are good for occasional use in this situation. How about THC gummies or other varieties? Any input is appreciated.

Comments

  • trottingalong
    trottingalong Member Posts: 837
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    For my DH, the THC gummies made him so much worse.

  • ​fesk
    ​fesk Member Posts: 507
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    I would recommend ruling out a medical issue for the agitation and confusion if not already done. UTIs, infections, etc. can be the cause of these issues. Once treated, the behavior and confusion can improve without the use of any other behavioral medications.

  • debriesea
    debriesea Member Posts: 50
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    When my DH started having the frustration/anger issues, his Dr started him on Lexapro 5mg which made a big difference. About a year later the anger issues started up again. It took about a month or so for me to realize he may need a higher dose. The Dr upped it to 10 mg which has worked. I’m hoping to recognize the symptoms earlier when they start appearing again.

  • Barbie300
    Barbie300 Member Posts: 17
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    I don’t think it is that bc it doesn’t happen very often. I think it could be over stimulation though bc it has happened when traveling or we have a lot of activities going on. I don’t think I’m going to take him out of town anymore.

  • Dio
    Dio Member Posts: 880
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    Is your husband taking any antipsychotics now? Since everyone is different, what works for one may not work for another. The list of antipsychotics is long. Talk to his doctor and hope you'll find one that works for your husband.

  • SDianeL
    SDianeL Member Posts: 2,596
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    the best type of doctor to manage anti-psychotic medications is a Geriatric Psychiatrist. Get a referral to one of you can.

  • Barbie300
    Barbie300 Member Posts: 17
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    No he isn’t. Thanks for responding.

  • Dio
    Dio Member Posts: 880
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  • persevere
    persevere Member Posts: 78
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    My DW was already on lexapro when her delusions and agitation picked up. Risperidone was the drug of choice and that did help. Especially with sleeping. But then later we changed to serequol when risperidone lost it's effectiveness. And more recently we've added lorazepam. All of this seems to work well up until around 4 or 5pm. That's the witching hour. We play all sorts of agitation games from about that time until I can get her to sleep (using temazepam) around 9ish. You will find, as so many of us do, that this medication regimen is a bit of an art form. There is no way around it. Regardless of how you feel about medication (and I was the same) it becomes necessary at some point.

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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