Anti depressant making things worse?

[SusanB]

Hi all,

I wonder whether I may have some advice from you lovely people?

Mum is nearly 86, lives on her own and was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia three years ago. Carers go in twice a day to give medication and she also has help with housework at home. All well and good you may think.

In the last 8 weeks or so she has taken to wandering over the road to various neighbours' houses asking for our Dad (who died 4 years ago), or "The Others" who are "in hospital" or various other place. In a nutshell, these are unpleasant hallucinations/delusions in that they are often of a paranoid nature, ie everyone has gone away and left her etc. Her memory has also got a lot worse in the last couple of months.

To address this agitation and these delusions, the pyschiatrist prescribed Trazodone, an anti depressant, in a relatively small dose and this started being given to her last Tuesday. However...her delusions are MUCH worse, she is having them every day about 6pm until the rest of the evening, her trips over to the neighbours are happening almost every day, her phone calls to the family - me, my two sisters, my uncle and my brother, have gone into orbit.

The "sundowning" is much worse since the tablet was prescribed. Not sure what to do! How can an anti depressant make things worse? Has anyone else experienced this side effect in their Mums/Dads/partners etc?

 

[Grannie G]

Good morning Susan

My husband was prescribed Trazadone at one time as an anti depressant with sedative effects. It looks like the sedative element is not yet being effective for your mother.

The hallucinations/delusions could be a progression of the illness. My husband also used to ask neighbours to help him find his home/his mother.

All you can do is refer back to the consultant for advice.

I don`t want to add to your worries but do you feel your mother is safe living by herself or would you agree she is at risk.

 

[lin1]

Hello Susan
Yes we have with mum.
Doc' tried mum on quite a few before finding one that helped ,Prozac,
Some just didnt work, most gave mum awful nighrmares or hallucinations or zonked her out.

I suggest you contact doc who prescribed them
asap.
Mums psych said, that with dementia any drug that worked on the brain could cause probs to become worse.
Tho at the time he thought mums dementia was progressing .

Let us know how you get on

 

[DeborahBlythe]

Susan, I'm not sure if this is helpful, but some antidepressants take a few weeks before they take effect. You might want to check this with the consultant.

 

[SusanB]

Thanks for your replies, everyone.

I will certainly give the Consultant a call this morning.

So many other families are now being affected by one woman's dementia - at mealtimes, (6.30pm onwards), there's a mad old lady knocking on doors asking for someone who died four years ago.

To answer you directly, Sylvia, yes I do think that she is at risk and I have made this clear to the pyschiatrist and to social services. Nothing can be done, so it seems, until things get pretty serious, ie she is found wandering in Eastbourne in her nightie etc. Mum would NEVER go into care of her own will, I foresee serious problems ahead re sectioning etc. Oh God.

Also, I'm not willing nor able to be there every day to "catch" the sundowning and stop her wandering. I am searching for a full-time job at the moment (I have an interview on Friday!!) and if I get that I will almost "disappear" due to the commuting and the commitment a job will entail. I'm only 46, have 23 years business development experience and I'm not willing to give up or compromise my career - not that I'm obsessed or anything, it's just my choice not to have children but to work at a senior level (so-called). I've been out of work for a year. The pressure is so bad, I struggle with depression because of the lack of money and Mum's illness. I know I threw in that paragraph without being asked about it, I just wanted to explain personal circumstances.

I care about my Mother but I don't love her as much as I would like to. It makes me sad but you can't help the way you feel. I am however very worried about her decline and I'm not sure of the best way forward.

I'll let you know what the Consultant says.

 

[DeborahBlythe]

Susan, it is OK not to want to sacrifice your job prospects. It is no fun being out of work, and it is enough that you are thinking constructively about how to support your mother. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope that things work out OK for you both.
KInd regards

 

[SusanB]

I rang the Consultant today, who is not in until Fri. I spoke to the CPN (who only works Wed and Thurs - how does that happen?!!) who suggested that she may have a UTI.

I've made an appt with the GP and will take her. Me doing it again. Maybe I'll have a second interview - sorry, my Mad Mother needs looking after...great.

And the aftermath? anti biotics? I guess I'll organise that all again shall I? It's OK, I didn't want a job anyway.

S.