Severe loss of appetite and no motivation to eat..help needed

[Alpine]

My wife with moderate to severe Alzheimer's has lost the will to eat. She will only take the tiniest portion and I cannot get her to explain why. I have tried all the things she likes but to no avail.She is clearly losing weight.

She is taking Gelantamine and I am aware that this might affect the appetite but she has been taking this for many weeks without a problem before.

I will go to seek advice from the doctor I think but meanwhile I would really appreciate the chance to hear from others as to whether this is a problem they have experienced and any tips to help. Thanks

 

[BeckyJan]

Hello.
Yes I agree it best to discuss this with the GP as soon as possible. He may recommend a SaLT (Speech and Language therapist) as these are specialists when it comes to swallowing and eating disorders.

It seems common with dementia that eating tastes change very often with a preference for sweet and soft things. My husband lost interest in a main meal but loved things like rice pudding, ice cream and fruit jellies.

Also I hope the GP will check for any other infection as this can affect appetite.

This factsheet may be worth reading.

Best wishes

 

[sussexsue]

This was a big problem with my mum. Often it would be the first sign of a UTI, but during the last couple of years her appetite just disappeared.

I found that she would eat more in the morning than later in the day, so made sure that she had a cooked lunch around 12:00ish. I always served very small portions (and I mean VERY small), because the sight of too much food seemed to totally overwhelm her. Also lots of tea and biscuits/cake through out the day.

Be aware that Alzheimers can cause very significant changes in what food people like, so trying new foods is always a good idea. I also worked on the principle that eating biscuits all day was better than not eating at all. Texture can also play a big part, and softer food seemed to go down much better. I also made sure that she drank as much as possible, but again she would have a couple of sips and then lose interest.

Sadly for the last 6 months mum hardly ate at all and pretty much wasted away - it was so sad. I think speaking to your GP is a really good idea, as they can rule out infection, and maybe suggest some of the supplement drinks.

 

[elc]

Loss of appetite

My Mum's appetite has got steadily worse and I can relate to the other replies. When faced with a large portion of food, sandwich or given a choice from a menu when out, she has lost all interest. Mum does eat more when someone is with her but definitey prefers the sweet things, especially chocolate eclairs! The more high calorific food the better - sweet foods, biscuits and cakes. Putting extra sugar in drinks can help too.

 

[Lulabelle]

Alpine this is very interesting to me as my mother (mild/moderate Alzheimer's and vascular dementia) has also lost her appetite completely AND she takes Galantamine.
In her case, it's not that her tastes have changed, although the tea she makes herself is just awful, she just won't eat anything other than the tiniest portion.
It doesn't matter if I put a minuscule amount on her plate, use a big plate or a small plate whether it's sweet or savoury, something she used to like or something new, she just looks at it, takes a tiny bite and says she is full up.
it's been driving me mad and she has lost huge amounts of weight.
I have asked her about it and whether she thinks her tastes have changed and she says 'I've always been a small eater, I've never had much of an appetite, I think I'm going back to my childhood when I was a really fussy eater'
She even says 'Well, I don't need to eat too much as I don't really do alot and I don't want to get fat and ugly' (She is 86).
Up until recently (when she began taking a higher dosage of Reminyl) she was tucking into her Meals on Wheels but she cancelled those a couple of weeks ago as she wasn't eating them.
This is now a huge worry to me as at least she had food put in front of her before she cancelled the MOW - I live too far away from her to monitor it myself although I have enlisted the 'eyes' of her cleaner to see what/if she is eating.
I did talk to the Memory Clinic consultant about it but he didn't think it was connected to the Galantamine.
I would be very interested to see what you find out and whether there is a connection.
I too will let you know if I find anything out about this distressing situation.
Lulabelle

 

[Acco]

My wife has Alzheimer's and Vascular Dementia and has been on Galantamine since dignosis 7yrs ago. Until early last year her weight increased to a size 18 despite efforts to stabilise or reduce it and then for some reason she started to lose interest in her food. As a result she is now size 14, more like her normal size. It was extremely difficult to get her to eat despite my best efforts as her carer and OH. A visit to the GP resulted in blood tests which didn't show anything that might cause this loss of appetite and weight; a visit to a dietrician was suggested. About the same time we saw our mental health doctor who suggested Metazapine, partly because of other changes in attitude but also because a side effect of this drug can be stimulus of the appetite. Whilst only on Metazapine for 4wks her appetite improved greatly, as well as her attitude and demeanor. For other reasons my wife was taken off the Metazapine but her appetite for food continues today. Was it the effect of this drug or just coincidental with the variable nature of the desease? I don't know. At no time did the loss of appetite or weight loss appear to cause any other problems e.g strength, energy, mobility - this is the overriding consideration. Also, due to lack of exercise, stimulus, etc., and the desease itself, it can reflect in loss of appetite as the body does not require the same amount of energy building foods, so we were told. The dietician recommended ensuring that what food and drink was taken was of high protein e.g. use full cream milk, add some of the high protein powder/liquid products available to cereals, drinks, other food. Tinned creamed soups, thick creamy yogurts, custard, ice cream, milkshakes, and many other foods were identified. It was also said that placing the food on a single bright colour mat or plate can often aid focus and interest in the food.
A visit to your GP and possibly a dietrician should help identify the cause and solution and help put your mind at ease. Hopefully our experience above helps a little, also. Our best wishes in finding a solution.