Can anything help hallucinations?

[BevGB]

My mum has been having distressing hallucinations and various medications have been tried but nothing seems to help. It started off being just one song “ The okey cokey “ then more music and I wondered if it was something called “ musical hallucinations” but then it changed to voices. Mostly a young lad who kept saying he loved her which she quite liked to start with but then it became more worrying with horrible aunts who looked after him and then a nasty gang of his friends outside at night threatening her. It became so distressing that she would call the Police and myself. She then heard the voices wherever she went and thought the people were following her which was again distressing.
She has gone into a care home for a couple of weeks to give us a break but I wish I knew how to help her as it has taken over her whole life.
Has anyone any experience of this or how to help it?

 

[Andrea57]

My mum has been having distressing hallucinations and various medications have been tried but nothing seems to help. It started off being just one song “ The okey cokey “ then more music and I wondered if it was something called “ musical hallucinations” but then it changed to voices. Mostly a young lad who kept saying he loved her which she quite liked to start with but then it became more worrying with horrible aunts who looked after him and then a nasty gang of his friends outside at night threatening her. It became so distressing that she would call the Police and myself. She then heard the voices wherever she went and thought the people were following her which was again distressing.
She has gone into a care home for a couple of weeks to give us a break but I wish I knew how to help her as it has taken over her whole life.
Has anyone any experience of this or how to help it?

You are discribing my mum ,that is so strange to read more or less the same story. Mum was on olanzapine for 2years up and down with the dose but never really worked now she has been on rispidone for 7weeks it hasn't got rid of the hallucinations but she is calmer .

 

[Louise83]

That part about the wee boy saying he loved her is exactly one of the things my mum hallucinated. She also got distressed or angry over hallucinations.

She started olanzapine a couple of months ago which calmed her down but hasn't fully stopped the hallucinating.

 

[canary]

I dont think that there is anything that can stop the hallucinations as they are a result of the damage in the brain, but if they are distressing her then you can get medication to calm her down

 

[BevGB]

Thank you for your replies. It’s interesting that some of the hallucinations have a similar theme. Mum is now starting a riverstigmine patch as it is hoped this won’t have as many side effects as she is only little. She didn’t seem too good on Donepezil, Memantine or Risperidone. I will ask about olanzapine if the patches don’t help.