My 94-year old mother lives with mid-stage Alzheimer's disease. Her condition is characterized by memory loss, confusion as to time and place, and heightened anxiety. To this point, I have have had some success in controlling her anxiety behaviorally. But I am wondering if she would be better served with a low dose of an anti-anxiety medication. I hesitate to introduce atypical anti-psychotic like Seroquel or Resperd due to their attendant risks and because their use would be off-label. I don't want to turn mom into a zombie either. Has anyone had any experience with these or other drugs used to treat Alzheimer's anxiety? Would it be better to just continue my behavioral approach until it no longer works?
This may not be the right drug for your mother. I tell my story just to illustrate that in some cases the off-label, risky medications are the lesser of the evils we have to choose among.
Make your decision in consultation with a doctor knowledgeable about Alzheimer's, and in love. Perfect? Alas, perfection is seldom possible in treating dementia. Do your best in love, and try not to stress over it.
Then about 3 weeks ago we had an episode of hallucinations and exit seeking.
We increased the dosage to one pill and she has been sleeping well all night long.
I don't think that I would have been able to keep mom here if she weren't getting that rest at night (and us). She was pacing, exit seeking, and her anxiety level was so very high. Now during the day she seems calm and well rested.
I know this isn't one of the medications that you were asking about, but sometimes we all need something.
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