.......
The community mental health team arranged for a consultant psychiatrist to visit and he explained that it wasn't insomnia it was an 'urge' that woke her up. He prescribed a low dose of Mirtazapine but said that it doesn't work for everyone. At a low dose it targets a receptor in the brain that triggers the urge. It has the opposite effect at higher doses (it hits different receptors).
Luckily it worked for my mother and she now sleeps through the night except when she has a UTI. It's great because she's alert the next day, she engages more with people and one useful side effect is it makes her hungry! I had terrible problems getting her to eat before.
This sort of advice should be written in stone.
My GP suggested paracetamol (fair enough) and warm milk. Eventually he gave me a few zopiclone and that broke the cycle. Now I get 7 tablets about every 6 months and only use them sparingly. In fact she spits most of them out and they are wasted (dissolve instantly in water). So I cut them in half and try to disguise the disgusting taste in icecream (but it still tastes awful).
My standard night time procedure is:
- paracetamol suspension (she cannot handle the big tablets), about 500mg dose
- warm milk with half crushed NYTOL
- Deep heat rubbed into her calf & knees.
Sometimes the above works OK. She may need putting back to bed a few times. I put her on her back & pile on the blankets (I think if she can warm up enough before she gets the 'urge' to get up she may fall asleep).
If all else fails I go for the nuclear option. Zopiclone in icecream (it really is bad).
I think the mirtazapine option sounds sensible. From what has been described the GP won't prescribe, so I have to get a referral to 'old people's mental health'.
MUm is also very agitated and constantly blows raspberries during the day. I wonder if the mirtazapine could help with that....if it reduces anxiety.