Donepezil and bad dreams

[OrangesOnly]

Mum was diagnosed with alzheimers and vascular dementia a few months ago. She has recently had her dose of donepezil increased to 10mg and we give it to her after her evening meal. This is making her nauseous and she has actually been sick a couple of times. More worrying, I am staying with her tonight (I live a couple of hours away but stay every second weekend) and she was up in the middle of the night with a bad dream. She had left the lights on and the hot tap running in the bathroom and was in bed, having taken her pyjamas off, saying that she couldn't get her clothes off and was obviously confused. A similar thing happened a few nights ago when my brother stayed. He heard her having a shower in the middle of the night and she was talking about the house falling down and feeling dirty. I am convinced that it is due to the medication. Should we see about giving it to her at a different time or lowering the dose?

 

[Izzy]

Welcome to the forum @OrangesOnly.

I'm sorry to hear about your worries regarding your mum. I would certainly contact the GP regarding the medication. I have seen other forum members post about side effects. I've no personal experience of this as my husband tolerated Donepezil well.

This link has some information about the side effects -

Dementia medication side effects

Read about possible side effects of dementia medications, what to do if you experience them and how you may be able to reduce them.

www.alzheimers.org.uk

It might also be an idea to get your mum checked for a urine infection.

Urinary tract infections and dementia

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a type of infection common among older people. If a person with a memory impairment or dementia has a UTI, this can cause sudden and severe confusion known as ‘delirium’.

www.alzheimers.org.uk

 

[Reallife]

Have you spoke to the memory clinic? My Dad had Donepezil and we were advised by the memory clinic to give it him in the morning because it can cause vivid dreams. He tolerated the 5mg very well but had problems when the dose was increased to 10mg. The doctor at the memory clinic reduced it back to 5mg and he stayed on that for the rest of his life. They reasoned it was better to have 5mg and be ok.

 

[OrangesOnly]

Thanks both. I will definitely be speaking to the rest of my family and the GP as I am worried about the safety aspects of mum being awake and confused during the night as well as the distress she must be experiencing.