I moved mom to ALF a month ago. She was not happy-- mean and moody. (She gets this way every time we have moved her.) The Nurse Practioner said Depakote worked great for this and would calm her too. But she seems to have bad days on it. Worse memory, dead stare, just out of it. I've read Depakote is not right for dementia. Anyone else have experience with it? She is also on Zoloft and tiny tiny dose of Klonopin which seemed ok in rehab to calm her.
Good luck and good caring
ps change of environment for dementia patients can be devastating and scary ! They get lonely, depressed and more confused. My doctor told the closest I can have Mom with one face/one place is best.
Please beware of pschotropic drugs, the dosages and uses. Psychotropic drugs are not supposed to be used to control negative behavior. Many times, these drugs are prescribed for convenience.
I agree 100% with Ferris1. Finding a good geriatric psychiatrist who is willing to spend more than 5 minutes assessing your mom's reaction to the varying drugs and dosages. In addition, many times the general practiioner will prescribe a drug that will cause negative interactions when combined with psychotropic drugs. You may wonder how this could possibly occur. Well, the elderly are treated in pieces with one hand not necessarily knowing what the other hand is or has already done. I implore you to stay abreast of all medication changes, do your own homework, talk to pharmacists in your community, and read the Drug Interation Reference Guide. Above all, ask good questions over and over until you understand.
Also...,the last 2 weeks I noticed his right eye closed. The NH says they think when he's anxious and does the pursed lip breathing and the hand tremors are worse on the right side,the eye closed. OK....yesterday he was not doing the pl breathing, but the eye was closed. I have a call into the eye doctor to see him. Could be his macular degeneration or my own opinion...a series of TIA's. Maybe even the muscle that controls the eyelid. At 97 and end stage Dementia, on pudding pureed foods and occasionally choking on them...all I ask for at this point is for him to be comfortable. Gosh....it's a hard road...this Dementia road...
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