Stick with it a bit longer, it took Mum 5 weeks and the CPN said it can take 8 sometimes. Having said that Mum has a UTI at the moment which has disrupted everything and we are back to toileting several times an hour during the day and up 5/6 times a night. I just hope the sleep comes back when the UTi clears up. Appetite remains good but constantly tired. She is also on Zopiclone and I was told it is a combination that works.
Mirtzapine
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That's good to hear. Just remembered the name of the other drug mum is on, mermantine. What worries me that if there are side effects, she may not be able to articulate that she has say, a tummy ache or headache, she will just go grouchy.
Lack of sleep
Hi,
My mother has late stage dementia. She is currently at home with local authority provided care. She just plain does not sleep at all. Maybe 20 minutes some nights, and the very occasional 5 minute cat day during the day. She's kept as alert as possible during the day. They are having to have a full time working night carer to sit for the main carer during the night. They are now refusing to fund this and want her to go into a home (That is really not the best and will finish her with anxiety and confusion!)
She is on trazadone and also a short half life sleeping tablet (which I forget the name of just now) But these have zero effect. I suspect Mirtzapine would also be of little benefit. And due to the usual reasons of increased confusion, risk of falls etc., it has been a real struggle to get the GP to prescribe anything.
Now, I know that dementia destroys the circadian rhythms and the brain's sleep centres, so the sensation of tiredness is not present.
But my questions are. How long can a person with dementia go on with zero sleep? What effect is it having on the body? Surely, this must be having a detrimental physical effect? But she still seems alert and very far from tired during the day. This has been going on for nearly 6 months.
Hi,
My mother has late stage dementia. She is currently at home with local authority provided care. She just plain does not sleep at all. Maybe 20 minutes some nights, and the very occasional 5 minute cat day during the day. She's kept as alert as possible during the day. They are having to have a full time working night carer to sit for the main carer during the night. They are now refusing to fund this and want her to go into a home (That is really not the best and will finish her with anxiety and confusion!)
She is on trazadone and also a short half life sleeping tablet (which I forget the name of just now) But these have zero effect. I suspect Mirtzapine would also be of little benefit. And due to the usual reasons of increased confusion, risk of falls etc., it has been a real struggle to get the GP to prescribe anything.
Now, I know that dementia destroys the circadian rhythms and the brain's sleep centres, so the sensation of tiredness is not present.
But my questions are. How long can a person with dementia go on with zero sleep? What effect is it having on the body? Surely, this must be having a detrimental physical effect? But she still seems alert and very far from tired during the day. This has been going on for nearly 6 months.
My Mom started on Mirtazapine about 6 nights ago - think it is helping her sleep through the night - but remember the sleepiness and the increased appetite are classed as "side effects" and as with many drugs - patients often adapt to the side effects and they become less apparent - great if you don't want them, but not so great if you are using the drug because you WANT the side effects (increased sleeping, etc). The antidepressant/anti-anxiety effects can take a few weeks to be apparent. Mom started on 15 mg, and are likely going to go up to 30 mg. Although its meant to be given at night - I found Mom's agitation and anxiety got worse around 6-7 pm, so I started giving it to her a bit earlier - around 5 pm, with the hope of having her in bed at 10 pm at the latest. Sometimes, she just doesn't want to settle - I live with my Mum and have taken a bit of a self-preservation approach - I lock the downstairs doors, turn down the lights (but not completely dark) and have purchased one of those video baby monitors. I go to bed at 11 no matter what, and just keep half an eye on what she is up to. Better for my sanity, and have found that my repeatedly asking Mum to "Please, go to bed" only gets her more annoyed and agitated. I also think my mom has energy that she is not sure what to do with - used to be a very active person, worked 2 jobs, etc. So I do try and get her out for a walk or at least a drive in the car during the day to burn off some of that energy. This is always a bit risky as there have been the odd temper tantrum when we are out, but I feel for her being stuck in the house all day. Boredom is clearly an issue.
So pleased someone has pulled up the Mirtzapine thread, been searching for it with a question of my own.
I had similar problems with my mum and back in May she started taking 15mg. It did not help mum with sleep instead she went the other way, became very active, so like you got mum to take earlier, we got to mid day because it seemed to help with the sun downing, it worked on all her anxieties so I was really pleased and sometimes she takes half mg of Lorazapam about 15 minutes before she goes to bed, very occasionally zoplicone not too often with this one, mum is so small and the day after she is very unsteady on her legs. She has not taken either of these 'night time' pills for 2 weeks now, she seems to be in a regular sleep pattern, knowing I have these is great and I can now judge if she needs to take one before going to bed.
My problem at moment, because mum seemed to have slipped back with mood swings, high anxiety etc, gp told me to give her 30mg. I think it may be too much in one go, because once again it seems to be increasing her anxiety, Waiting to hear from gp again, but I wondered if anyone out there splits this dose i.e 15 in morning 15 in afternoon?
I had similar problems with my mum and back in May she started taking 15mg. It did not help mum with sleep instead she went the other way, became very active, so like you got mum to take earlier, we got to mid day because it seemed to help with the sun downing, it worked on all her anxieties so I was really pleased and sometimes she takes half mg of Lorazapam about 15 minutes before she goes to bed, very occasionally zoplicone not too often with this one, mum is so small and the day after she is very unsteady on her legs. She has not taken either of these 'night time' pills for 2 weeks now, she seems to be in a regular sleep pattern, knowing I have these is great and I can now judge if she needs to take one before going to bed.
My problem at moment, because mum seemed to have slipped back with mood swings, high anxiety etc, gp told me to give her 30mg. I think it may be too much in one go, because once again it seems to be increasing her anxiety, Waiting to hear from gp again, but I wondered if anyone out there splits this dose i.e 15 in morning 15 in afternoon?
My Mum, who has AZ, was prescribed Mirtazapine at the beginning of the year and cannot really say if it has made a difference to be honest. Apart from making her sleepy, though we have had a couple of instances where she has wandered out in the early hours and the Police have took her back home, I do not feel it has solved all problems. She still gets very tearful and "down". Sorry cannot be more precise with an accurate assessment of this drug. It can be beneficial to some but not others.
