MIl was put on it as she was up and down all night and I was getting no sleep listening for her.work ok for 6 - 8 weeks then hopeless so dr tried something else lasted 3 days as she got aggressive and would want food from 8 am to 8 pm every 1/2 hr so we stopped that too. Now she has nowthing and we just have to deal with it although she is spending up to 16 hrs in bed a day most of which is at night after 6 pm
My Mil's diagnosis was changed from mixed VaD and AZ to Lewy Body dementia, towards the end of last year. As a result, all her meds were changed, with orlanzapine and duloxetine replacing the respiredon, diazapam replacing lorazepam and Zopiclone replacing the Metrazepine (excuse any spelling mistakes, please
). From having to just guide her back to bed when she got 'lost' on her way to and from the loo in the middle of the night, we gradually went to her up regularly throughout the night - and it was exhausting. Her delusions and day time behaviour also deteriorated
I spoke to Mil's CPN, who arranged an appointment with the latest in a long line of locum consultants, and his latest move has been to increase the Orlanzepine - that happened just over a week ago, and on Sunday night we had one of the worst nights ever, with Mil not going to sleep and constantly wandering till after 4.30 a.m.
The reason I've picked up on your post is because one of the reasons she gave - though it was just one among many - for getting up, was that she was 'starving' and she was demanding 'jam butties' in the middle of the night - this after clearing her pate at every meal during the day, and often wanting more
OH and I decided we would try her with a 'supper' of porridge, right before her bedtime medication - and we also added 2 paracetamols to her meds, as we had read that this has proved helpful to other carers. And so far -so good. Since we introduced the porridge, other than the usual trips to the loo and getting lost on her way there or back, she is sleeping right through the night. We had put the increased appetite and demands for food down to the zopiclone, but I'd be interested to know what the alternative med that the GP tried for your Mil was, just in case it matches one that Mil is on and may explain the issues with wanting more food all the time x