Help - Mum is manic

Jo Sutton

Registered User
Jul 8, 2016
215
0
Surrey
Hi everyone, I really need some help here.

Mum has slept for seven hours in the last 48. The rest of the time she has been totally manic, delusional, raving, shouting, sobbing and threatening, seeing people who aren't there, and all without let-up. She's also forgotten how to operate light switches, which is a first, and has fallen three times today.

Usually she sleeps 16 hours a day and is pliable most of the rest of the time. I've checked for a UTI and she's clear.

I've never seen this behaviour before for more than a couple of hours. But it's almost midnight and she's been going since 4am, and all day yesterday as well. She's currently sitting in her bedroom, in the dark, conversing very loudly and animatedly with people who aren't there. When the lights are turned on, they suddenly disappear.

She's been on memantine (the lowest dose of 5mg) for just over two weeks. Could that be what's causing it?

The other factor is that the dosage of her anti-depressant, Citalopram, was recently halved. But I can't think that would cause this sort of extreme reaction, would it?

We are exhausted - I've had to work the last couple of days, on virtually no sleep, and hubby has been looking after her day and night. I'm very tempted to stop the memantine. We can't go on like this for very much longer.

Any thoughts gratefully received. I NEED to sleep :(

Hugs

Jo xx
 

Ludlow

Registered User
Jul 20, 2016
108
0
SE England
Hallo Jo,
My sympathies with what you are going through. Sounds exhausting for all concerned.

I'm no expert, but I have heard that memantine can cause agitation in some people, though often it is prescribed to reduce agitation. My mum certainly had a couple of falls when she first started taking it so I'd be inclined to think that might be tied in. It is possible that your mum is sensitive to it. I would suggest that you ring whoever prescribed it (GP or memory/mental health clinic) in the morning and see what they have to say. What happened in our case is that mum continued with the memantine but was taken off her blood pressure medication as they thought that her blood pressure was now too low which was causing the falls.

I don't know anything about the anti-depressant but I have to say that I now argue with my GP when she wants to change the dosage of 2 different drugs at the same time. That way you are left with this uncertaintly about which change might have caused any problem.

Hope things settle down a bit soon.
 

Jo Sutton

Registered User
Jul 8, 2016
215
0
Surrey
Thanks @Ludlow. That confirms what I'd been thinking, and I'll phone the memory clinic tomorrow and ask the nurse what's best. Mum takes her memantine in the early afternoon, so I can delay if necessary until I get an answer.

It wasn't the intention to stop two drugs at once. The GP agreed to reduce the citalopram, but we thought it wouldn't be until the next blister pack came in 4 weeks. Unfortunately, the chemist rushed through the lower dose and got it into the last blister packs without me realising.

So Mum had been on the lower dose for 2 weeks when she started taking the memantine, but I didn't realise until a week later. As everything seemed stable a week into the memantine, I decided not to change anything but to contact the GP tomorrow (first chance I had) and ask her to put the Citalopram dose back up again for the next set of blisters.

That's when this particular tsunami hit :eek:

Earlier on, Mum had a problem with the higher dose of donepazil as well, which she stopped completely about 6 months ago. She's taking a whole cocktail of drugs for long term physical disability, so any new drug always seems to have a marked effect, for good or for bad.

I went down about half an hour ago and got the 'child' out of the box of Mum's incontinence pads and put him to bed, and she seems to have gone to sleep. I'm hoping it lasts a while, as I've been awake for 21 hours now :(

Hugs

Jo xx
 

Midow

Registered User
Jun 13, 2017
38
0
Wales
Hi Jo. I'm in the same boat here with my OH. Normally, he sleeps well at night, around 14 hours but the last two nights have been horrendous. He's wide awake and having long conversations with somebody who's not there. His vocabulary is much better during these "chats" than its been for the last 12 months. Like you, I'm exhausted. I've tried giving him paracetamol and herbal Nytol but nothing has worked. He has been on the highest dose of Mementine for around 4 years, so that's not causing the problem for us. Fingers crossed that this will pass and we can get back to "normal".
 

Amethyst59

Registered User
Jul 3, 2017
5,776
0
Kent
Oh you poor things...I’ve got nothing useful at all to add...but I’m so sorry you are going through this. I really hope you get sorted soon.
 

Jo Sutton

Registered User
Jul 8, 2016
215
0
Surrey
@Midow maybe we can get your OH and my Mum together and they can keep each other company :D

Thanks @Amethyst59. It's been a hell of a few days. But Mum slept from 1am until half an hour ago, and seems a bit more 'with it' this morning, so I have my fingers crossed. The Memory Nurse said she didn't think it was the memantine, so I'm going to see how Mum does this afternoon and give it to her later if she seems to have recovered.

Our wonderful GP has already put the citalopram dose back up to it's original level, so that's sorted too. And I got a whole 8 hours sleep last night. Woo hoo! :)

Onwards and upwards! Thanks so much, everyone, for your help and support. I couldn't do it without you lovely people <3

Hugs

Jo xx
 

Shedrech

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
12,649
0
UK
I'm so glad you both got a good night's sleep - makes such a difference
that and having a pro-active GP who really listens to you
 

Onmyown

Registered User
May 30, 2017
385
0
Gosh I dread this happening to mum. No advice just hugs. I am fairly level headed but I really don't know
 

Tin

Registered User
May 18, 2014
4,820
0
UK
Pleased to read things have calmed down. It was Mementine that set off my mum, about half way through the first month she became so manic, we stopped immediately. Hoping it is a success for you I know it can be for some people. Hope you are well rested.
 

Jo Sutton

Registered User
Jul 8, 2016
215
0
Surrey
Thanks so much everyone for your support. Mum has been absolutely fine ... in fact better than usual ... today, although she can still remember bits of her delusions. She asked me earlier about the child from last night :D

She's so sweet and lovely most of the time, when she's not manic and delusional, that it seems all the worse when the mania hits.

I gave her the memantine today, and the Memory Nurse is visiting on Friday to take blood pressure, so if the mania returns, I can talk to her again then. I just can't think what could have caused it if it wasn't the drug :confused:.

Just being able to talk to people who understand, really helped me through those awful 48 hours. Thank you so much. You are the best! :)

Hugs

Jo
 

Midow

Registered User
Jun 13, 2017
38
0
Wales
That's wonderful, Jo. No change here yet. He went to day centre yesterday and I hoped he'd be tired on his return, no such luck! He talked manically until around 12 midnight and is awake again now after crashing around in the bedroom looking for the door, which he then managed to walk into cutting his head in the process. I've brought him downstairs to clean him up and give him a cup of tea now and the constant chatter has stopped but when he does speak he's slurring, but this could be lack of sleep. I'll see how he is later and may need to call the doctor.
 

Jo Sutton

Registered User
Jul 8, 2016
215
0
Surrey
Oh @Midow I'm so sorry it's still going on for you :( I was exhausted after 48 hours and still catching up. I can't imagine how tired you must be.

Sending you loads of virtual hugs

Jo xx
 

Midow

Registered User
Jun 13, 2017
38
0
Wales
Thank you, Jo. After speaking to his mental health nurse, I tried all day to get a urine sample from him with no luck, so phoned the GP who thought it sounded like a UTI. She prescribed antibiotics and he eventually settled to sleep around midnight, after removing drawers and emptying them! The manic talking has stopped, at last, thankfully, and after reluctantly getting up he spent the day mostly sleeping in his chair, lucky thing! Hopefully things will now return to normal - whatever normal is!
 

MaryH

Registered User
Jun 16, 2016
120
0
Ottawa, Canada
Dad's geriatrician (confirmed with pharmacist) that the Sandoz-memantine had side effects of around 5% confusion and 5% with drowsiness / dizziness.. But if your mom stablized after changing another medication maybe interaction between them?
 

Jo Sutton

Registered User
Jul 8, 2016
215
0
Surrey
I hope it is over for you @Midow and that you manage to get some sleep.

As for me, I thought it was over, but apparently it was just a lull in the storm :(

Mum complaining of chest pain yesterday and demanding I called the doctor. Doctor said to take her to A&E immediately. Luckily, because it was chest pain and therefore suspected heart attack, they fasttracked us through A&E and the doctor was amazing! Knew exactly what was going on with the dementia and got Mum through all the tests and discharged asap. It turns out she has a fracture in her chest bone, probably from falling earlier in the week. Nothing they can do.

Unfortunately, being in hospital for 4 hours increased Mum's confusion. And the Doctor thinks she may have a UTI after all, although not the standard one, so they couldn't test. It seems likely, as she has been delirious since we got home yesterday evening, and only slept 4 hours again.

She is currently sat in the hall downstairs, as she has been for the last 5 hours, crying because she doesn't know where her 'baby' is, and wanting to go home. I can't produce a baby and I daren't let her out as she is only in her pyjamas. Nothing I can say will calm her down, in fact I seem to make her worse, so I have no choice but to wait for her to wear herself out. Unfortunately, having a UTI seems to summon up reserves of strength that she doesn't normally have :(

This is the most difficult bit. She is begging me to help her find her baby and get home, and there is nothing I can do :( It's heartbreaking!

Sorry, just having a moan.

Hugs

Jo xx
 

Moggymad

Registered User
May 12, 2017
1,314
0
Hi @Jo Sutton that would really tug at my heart! Would one of those lifelike dolls help her do you think? My mum seems to have taken ownership of a lovely doll in her care home. No idea whose it is but mum's always got it on her lap.
 

Tin

Registered User
May 18, 2014
4,820
0
UK
As an immediate try, a hot water bottle wrapped in a small blanket or towel might work, of course tell her what it is and that it will keep her warm while she is waiting.

My mum now has a doll, one with a soft body and it is wearing a t shirt with writing on it that says I love you mummy. I found it in a charity shop. Now she is not fooled by this and deep down inside seems to know that it is only a doll, but the lettering seems to help. Like everything else though it is regularly carried and put down on various surfaces around the house. If she really believed it was her baby I do not think she would let it go. Tried to put it in bed with her, but so far no acceptance of this.
 

Maria12

New member
Dec 2, 2017
5
0
Hi there, very new to all this, but this sounds like the delirium my dad suffered after not sleeping for 48 hours, getting dehydrated and not eating. Apparently it is a recognised medical condition. We too were hoping it was a UTI, but apparently not. I had never seen this before, only in my son when he had a high temperature years ago.

Such a good forum, thank you.
 

Midow

Registered User
Jun 13, 2017
38
0
Wales
Oh dear, Jo, so sorry to hear that things are no better for you. The suggestion about a doll may work. I saw a number of ladies who had dolls in the home my grandmother was in years ago. May be worth a try?
Antibiotics are working their magic for OH, thank goodness. He's having an assessment with the Mental Health doctor next week but unless new drugs have come onto the market recently, I don't think there's any more to be done for him. Hope you have a better day today.