Does anyone have any experience of this anti-psychotic drug? Dad's care home staff are keen for him to go on it. They say it will be a kindness to him. His mood swings are sudden and go from calm lucidity to agitation and anger. they say it will stabilise his moods. He is already on an anti depressant. He is very demanding of the staff's time and I can't help but have a suspicion that this will make life easier for them. He is in the moderate stages of mixed dementia.
quetiapine
- Thread starter Lyndam
- Start date
I've said this many times before - anti-psychotics can have a place but they must be carefully monitored.
Does your father seem extremely unhappy and agitated? Does he get easily upset? Is there a possibility that he will get physically violent? Quetiapine, which my mother is currently on, may well help his moods or agitation. You might want to consider a trial period to see if his moods do improve.
Yes, I understand your suspicion that it will make life easier for the staff but it may also make life easier for your father. My mother has been on anti-psychotics for years now and we are finally at the stage where we are very gradually weaning her off them. There really wasn't any other option for my mother as she was physically attacking staff and other residents in her nursing home. Once we found the right drug and dose, her moods did improve greatly.
You may simply do a trial and see if it works for him. I would also suggest having a chat with the staff about it and a chat with your chemist, who is probably the best person to discuss drugs with. If your father is on other drugs, you will also want to research any interactions.
Does your father seem extremely unhappy and agitated? Does he get easily upset? Is there a possibility that he will get physically violent? Quetiapine, which my mother is currently on, may well help his moods or agitation. You might want to consider a trial period to see if his moods do improve.
Yes, I understand your suspicion that it will make life easier for the staff but it may also make life easier for your father. My mother has been on anti-psychotics for years now and we are finally at the stage where we are very gradually weaning her off them. There really wasn't any other option for my mother as she was physically attacking staff and other residents in her nursing home. Once we found the right drug and dose, her moods did improve greatly.
You may simply do a trial and see if it works for him. I would also suggest having a chat with the staff about it and a chat with your chemist, who is probably the best person to discuss drugs with. If your father is on other drugs, you will also want to research any interactions.
My husband had a low dose of quetiapine during his last 3 years. How I wish it had been given to him at home as I believe I would have coped for longer before him needing full nursing care.
However it is not for the NH staff to make this decision. I suggest you speak to the Mental Health Consultant and/or GP yourself and discuss what risks there are in your Father's case. Also I believe it should be a very low dose at least in the early stages so that he is not zonked out completely.
Before giving this medication to my husband the Consultant discussed it with me. I raised the question of high risk of strokes and she agreed this was so, but we also agreed it was better to relieve his anxiety and give him quality and some rest.
I agree with Joanne it must be monitored carefully. You may find this factsheet helpful:
http://alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=110
However it is not for the NH staff to make this decision. I suggest you speak to the Mental Health Consultant and/or GP yourself and discuss what risks there are in your Father's case. Also I believe it should be a very low dose at least in the early stages so that he is not zonked out completely.
Before giving this medication to my husband the Consultant discussed it with me. I raised the question of high risk of strokes and she agreed this was so, but we also agreed it was better to relieve his anxiety and give him quality and some rest.
I agree with Joanne it must be monitored carefully. You may find this factsheet helpful:
http://alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=110
Thanks Joanne - thats helpful - thanks also for your reply to my previous posting about the newspaper article.
Lynda
The Society has a lot of useful information about the use of anti-psychotics for agitation in people living with dementia. Here's a link:
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=1191&pageNumber=2
The Royal College of Nursing paper, supported by the Department of Health, also makes interesting reading:
http://rcnpublishing.com/userimages/ContentEditor/1373365507048/Antipsychotic-drugs-in-dementia.pdf
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=1191&pageNumber=2
The Royal College of Nursing paper, supported by the Department of Health, also makes interesting reading:
http://rcnpublishing.com/userimages/ContentEditor/1373365507048/Antipsychotic-drugs-in-dementia.pdf
Hi
My OH was put on Quetiapine when he was having delusions. He was on an ever increasing dose for a short time until delusions and associated violence grew less. He was then started on Memantine and the Quetiapine gradually and carefully reduced to zero.
He now seems to be fairly stable and has has violent delusions since then. However, I did notice that, whilst on the Quetiapine he had several TIAs, although there was no lasting effects that I could discern.
He has mixed (Alzheimer's and vas dem) dementia.
My OH was put on Quetiapine when he was having delusions. He was on an ever increasing dose for a short time until delusions and associated violence grew less. He was then started on Memantine and the Quetiapine gradually and carefully reduced to zero.
He now seems to be fairly stable and has has violent delusions since then. However, I did notice that, whilst on the Quetiapine he had several TIAs, although there was no lasting effects that I could discern.
He has mixed (Alzheimer's and vas dem) dementia.
That's Seroquel, isn't it? My husband was initially started on that, and the dose increased several times - not just for agitation, but for horrific hallucinations and delusions. It didn't have much effect though, so he was switched to another anti-psychotic which thankfully, worked like a dream. He's been on that for 3 years now - only for it, he would have been in a Mental Health Unit for the last three years, as he was a danger to himself and to other people.
As has been said, discuss it with the consultant/doctors. There are risks with anti-psychotic use in the elderly, so it really is a case of weighing up the risks against the potential benefits.
As has been said, discuss it with the consultant/doctors. There are risks with anti-psychotic use in the elderly, so it really is a case of weighing up the risks against the potential benefits.
My mother has vascular dementia and takes a low dose of quetiapine in an effort to reduce hallucinations. It has been effective up to a point and has helped to make her calmer. In an attempt to find something more effective, the psychiatrist tried haloperidol for a while but it was a disaster, causing agitation and paranoia. These issues improved when she went back to quetiapine and they adjusted the dose very gradually.
I hope you find it works,
Bill.
I hope you find it works,
Bill.
