Sudden Paranoia

[tgisue]

Hello

My dad was diagnosed earlier this year with Alzheimer's by the Memory clinic.

I took him to his results appointment last week as we paid for a private MRI brain scan as he didn't have one as part of his diagnosis process. That scan showed no abnormalities/signs of dementia whatsoever.

Anyway, he called me round to see him yesterday, he was a totally different person. He said he had seen paperwork in the doctors office completed by me saying he was incapable of looking after my mum, he had flipped through it when the doctor and I left the room, this never happened!

He was so angry and upset saying I had stabbed him in the back. It took me two hours to calm him down and reassure him that I hadnt done that to him.

My question is, could the paranoia be part of the dementia or could it be a side effect of the 5mg of Aricept that he started 6 weeks ago? The change in him was so shocking, I am still trying to come to terms with it.

Many thanks for reading

 

[Louise7]

Medication can cause side effects but as the paranoia has just appeared suddenly, and he has been on the medication for 6 weeks with no previous signs of paranoia, then I'd be thinking that it's possibly an infection. Something like a urine infection can cause such severe sudden changes in behaviour so I suggest that you ring 111 or contact the GP to get him checked out as if he does have an infection he will need antibiotics.

 

[Bunpoots]

If it’s not an infection @tgisue I think you could be right in considering Aricept to be the cause of your dad’s behaviour. It doesn’t suit everyone and my dad had behaviour problems although only at the 10mg dose in his case.

Of course it could just be the dementia but I think it’s worth trying to rule out other causes.

 

[Palerider]

Hello

My dad was diagnosed earlier this year with Alzheimer's by the Memory clinic.

I took him to his results appointment last week as we paid for a private MRI brain scan as he didn't have one as part of his diagnosis process. That scan showed no abnormalities/signs of dementia whatsoever.

Anyway, he called me round to see him yesterday, he was a totally different person. He said he had seen paperwork in the doctors office completed by me saying he was incapable of looking after my mum, he had flipped through it when the doctor and I left the room, this never happened!

He was so angry and upset saying I had stabbed him in the back. It took me two hours to calm him down and reassure him that I hadnt done that to him.

My question is, could the paranoia be part of the dementia or could it be a side effect of the 5mg of Aricept that he started 6 weeks ago? The change in him was so shocking, I am still trying to come to terms with it.

Many thanks for reading

Hello @tgisue . Just wanted to point out that early dementia won't always show on an MRI, and MRI is also used to differentiate between vascular dementia and Alzheimer's.

For your own benefit and peace of mind I would google donepezil (aricept) and look up the side effects, I don't think paranoia features as a side effect.

Do you think recent events may have caused him to become paranoid given he won't be able to process information as he used to?

 

[tgisue]

Thank you for all your replies.

He has been describing things that happened in appointments that didn't happen, so this is quite worrying. He seems focused on the Memory clinic doctor that gave him his diagnosis and how he cant wait for the review appointment to "give him a roasting". I think he definitely is having difficulty processing information @Palerider and is just in total denial about his condition, which I understand is part of dementia.

Thank you all again for your input

Sue