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Anyone using Paxil for severe agitation?

scarfire
scarfire Member Posts: 28
Ninth Anniversary 10 Comments 5 Likes 5 Care Reactions
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in I Am a Caregiver (General Topics)

My mom is 94 - diagnosed 11 years ago with Alz dementia. She has been in an advanced stage requiring full care for almost 10 years.

Her neurologist advised us to try Paxil to help with her severe agitation. She is taking seroquel as well.

She's starting throwing plates of food lately. Things are rough but I'm nervous about starting her on the Paxil.

Any advise woul be appreciated.

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  • SDianeL
    SDianeL Member Posts: 2,596
    2500 Comments 1,000 Care Reactions 1,000 Likes 500 Insightfuls Reactions
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    you can search for Paxil using the search feature at the top of the page. It looks like a magnifying glass.

  • harshedbuzz
    harshedbuzz Member Posts: 5,989
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    @scarfire

    Paxil would not be my choice for this level of agitation for a host of reasons. It's one of the older SSRIs which can help with depression and anxiety. I might be useful in a cocktail with other psychoactive meds. The downsides to SSRIs are that 1) response is very individualized meaning it might not work for your mom and 2) it can take upwards of 6 weeks to get a sense of whether the drug working. Plus, they have to be titrated up slowly and patients need to be weaned off.

    For agitation, a low dose of an atypical antipsychotic (Seroquel, Risperdal, etc) is usually the go-to. While these also take some time to see the full effect, there would likely be some relief in the first week.

    IME, dad's PCP and neurologists weren't as knowledgeable about these kinds of meds as the geriatric psychiatrist he saw. If you can get mom in to see one, that would be useful.

    HB

  • ShadCronin
    ShadCronin Member Posts: 2
    Second Anniversary First Comment
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    Thank you,

  • MN Chickadee
    MN Chickadee Member Posts: 967
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    What dose of seroquel is she on? Upping the dose may be an option. Has she been checked for UTI if this behavior is new? That can cause sudden changes in behavior like agitation and behavior issues.

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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