Hi everyone
I'd appreciate advice from anyone who has experience of giving their PWD donepazil, and the best time of day to do so.
Mum is on 5mg pd - she had an adverse reaction to 10mg so the doctor dropped the dose again. She always had it in her evening medication, around 5.30pm.
Recently, we visited the memory nurse and I said that Mum was having vivid dreams which often led to her waking during the night, convinced that the dream had really happened. Anything from worrying about the 'child' she is supposed to be looking after, to having imaginary conversations with my father who died in 2003. The nurse said that donepazil makes the mind more active and suggested that we move it to the morning, which I did.
However, after I'd done so, Mum got very restless during the day, and more confused that usual. Before the change, she was fairly placid, spending most of the day sleeping or watching TV. After we moved the medication, she started constantly worrying about strange things, wandering about, and sometimes hallucinating. She also had much more difficulty getting to sleep at night. However, around the same time, she contracted a UTI, which complicated her symptoms and made it difficult to tell what it was that was affecting her.
At the moment, I've moved the donepazil back to the evening, which seems to have calmed her down a little, apart from the UTI symptoms, which are making her 'crazier' than usual, which is pretty par for the course with a UTI.
My question is: has anyone else experienced their PWD reacting differently to donepazil depending on the time of day it is taken? Can anyone help me work out whether it's the UTI or the drug that is making her more restless during the day and unable to sleep at night? Any advice greatly appreciated.
Hugs
Jo
I'd appreciate advice from anyone who has experience of giving their PWD donepazil, and the best time of day to do so.
Mum is on 5mg pd - she had an adverse reaction to 10mg so the doctor dropped the dose again. She always had it in her evening medication, around 5.30pm.
Recently, we visited the memory nurse and I said that Mum was having vivid dreams which often led to her waking during the night, convinced that the dream had really happened. Anything from worrying about the 'child' she is supposed to be looking after, to having imaginary conversations with my father who died in 2003. The nurse said that donepazil makes the mind more active and suggested that we move it to the morning, which I did.
However, after I'd done so, Mum got very restless during the day, and more confused that usual. Before the change, she was fairly placid, spending most of the day sleeping or watching TV. After we moved the medication, she started constantly worrying about strange things, wandering about, and sometimes hallucinating. She also had much more difficulty getting to sleep at night. However, around the same time, she contracted a UTI, which complicated her symptoms and made it difficult to tell what it was that was affecting her.
At the moment, I've moved the donepazil back to the evening, which seems to have calmed her down a little, apart from the UTI symptoms, which are making her 'crazier' than usual, which is pretty par for the course with a UTI.
My question is: has anyone else experienced their PWD reacting differently to donepazil depending on the time of day it is taken? Can anyone help me work out whether it's the UTI or the drug that is making her more restless during the day and unable to sleep at night? Any advice greatly appreciated.
Hugs
Jo
