Behavioral ups and downs

JJinVA · August 14

Unfortunately my mother’s Alzheimer’s has made her generally very snappy, angry, and anxious but then she’ll dip into periods of sadness/depression/quietness. The past couple days she’s been up and talkative and active, like her old self, which I am enjoying while it lasts. I know that as things progress there can be periods of the person they used to be but I thought those were shorter.

I’ve done all the research and I know everyone’s timeline is different but I’d like to hear actual experiences with the up and down behavior shifts. I’m trying to stay on top of all the symptoms so I can make the choice of when to move her from assisted living into memory care.

H1235 · August 14

It’s funny I have noticed this with my mom and thought about posting. She seems to be pretty good for a few months, then things flip and she is grumpy and argumentative. I don’t know if it’s just the nature of dementia or if there is something that is triggering it. She had her hearing checked in the nursing home (routine) and they told her she needs hearing aids (this should have been discussed with me). She has them, but doesn’t know how to use them. I won’t bring them in for her (I make excuses) and she is mad. A month or two of anger about everything (not just the hearing aid) followed. Then she was in a pretty good mood for a while and all of a sudden the switch flips again and she is mad at me about everything. I can’t come up with anything that might have caused it this time. Honestly I have seen this flip flop in mood over and over. Maybe trying to attribute it to some event is a stretch. Who knows with dementia.

SusanB-dil · August 14

Totally understand.

MIL was same. She did end up on medication for depression, and seroquel did help level out her mood swings. Do tell mom's doc what's been happening, maybe something can help level things out a bit.

JJinVA · August 14

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/279895#Comment_279895

She’s already on Seroquel but I did email her doctor about either increasing the dose or adding something. I may actually see her when I visit today as she’s usually in the building a few days a week.

vskalavar · August 15

My mother is 92 and I have seen these behaviors in her. Her doctor put her on Rexulti and she has calmed down a lot. However, she cannot take Seraquel at the same time and it was stopped. She has been sleeping less after stopping Seraquel.
Please share if you have had success Utah any medication to help her sleep at night.

Behavioral ups and downs

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