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I tried different things doctors PRESCRIBE but makes her worse! She has Dementia so prescribed medications wont work. She is very active on and off in the day at times but still walks all night up and down the house then when morning comes light. She falls to sleep I tell her and show her its night cold and dark and people need there rest to feel good but wont listen. All she says I'm bored lets go out. But its messed up my sleeping and I can't get any sleep There needs to be a place for people like them to go to for activities at night. I know I can't be the only one I'm going through this. It should be a place in every city. I heard there is a place but that's in another state back east I am In California. I am letting her sleep but sleeps till noon or later then up again all night! Help Me!

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Hunnn....you are not alone. I have a post similar to this and it's so much more common than you think. My 91 year old mom with Dementia was prescribed Ambiem and Trazadone. Did nothing for her. They gave us lorazepam to relax her but it did the opposite for her. Sometimes when the doctors prescribe these meds they don't take in consideration the person that takes them. My little 91 year old was up all night trying to get out of bed with 2 arthritic knees and drugged to the max. I was so petrified that she would fall and break something..I was up every hour with her trying to get her settled back in bed. I'm not sure because I havent taken trazadone but i believe that it makes you dream. So I think with those to drugs it would give my mom the idea that she could do anything anyone could do. But she can't and there was no reasoning with her at all..so she would still try over and over. I have my room upstairs and would make that climb about 10 times a night.
Also with Dementia they have whats called "Surges" in their brains. Because some of the brain is starting to die the other parts are trying to compensate. Which I think gives them the surges. And the fact that they are sleeping so much during the day, night time is when they are active.
I tried the drug regiman for a week or so..but then decided to try and go my own route. I only give mom her haloperidol drops and 1 advil pm. It worked! Last night was the first time she slept and got up once to go pee and slept until 11am today. I hope this is helpful. I know how you are feeling so well. Hang in there.
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To, msdaizy. Whats haloperidol drops ?
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I feel for you! Having a loved one who cannot be left alone up all night is very rough on the caregiver! If the doctors cannot resolve the problem I urge you to hire someone to stay in the house and look after the loved one at night.

The fact that all drugs, and especially drugs for the brain, have different effects on different patients, whether the patients have dementia or not. I took trazodone as a sleep aid and found it very effective. I did not have dreams. But it gave me blurry vision, so I had to discontinue it. My husband, with dementia, took a small dose of seroquel for over nine years, to help him stay asleep at night.

I wouldn't say the prescriptions don't work with people with dementia, but that it is very important to deal with a doctor knowledgeable about dementia, and if possible knowledgeable about the patient's particular kind of dementia.

Haloperidol is sold in the US as Haldol. It is an anti-psychotic absolutely not to be given to persons with Lewy Body Dementia or Parkinson's with Dementia. It can cause severe symptoms or even death in such persons. Unfortunately, not everyone who has that type of dementia has been diagnosed with it, so treading extremely carefully with this drug is important.

I suggest working with a doctor highly knowledgeable and experienced in treating dementia. If the issue cannot be resolved, bring in in-home help for the overnight shift.

Night restlessness is a very challenging, difficult part of providing care for dementia patients. My heart goes out to you and I wish you success.
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It is hard to say. My mother admits times she does not sleep at night; but then she then often sleeps all day. The one thing that saves me is that Mother has arthritis in hips, knees, so she can't move around. She's okay being in her bed because she has her TV in her room. Does your mother enjoy TV, or is willing to watch one? Sometimes it makes enough difference to help, I can not say.
It's a poor answer, I know.
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Yes the haloperidol drops are a anti-psychotic Mom takes just a few drops and helps her sleep and relax. The lorazepam never worked for her. She would be more amped up when I gave her the lorazepam. The trazadone and ambiem would never get her into that deep enough sleep so she would try and get out of bed...only it made her lean so bad, like a drunk. She would also get more aggravated because of how it made her feel and then the next day is when she would sleep it off...all day long.
She can't see to watch tv because she has macular degeneration and very hard of hearing. I bought her some tv ears but it was too confusing for her.
My poor sweet mom lived alone up until July and has declined so fast. I just hate watching her go through all this suffering. I just want her to be at peace.
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PandaRosa, being up all night but sleeping during the day is not inherently a problem. I have delayed sleep phase disorder and I have had many, many episodes of being up nearly all night and then when I finally get to sleep not wanting to get up until noon. This was really no problem for me when my husband with dementia also slept till noon, but that didn't happen every day, and I had to be up when he was. The net result was too little sleep. But if your mother, PandaRosa, has no responsibilities that would require her to be up at a certain time, and if she is safe on her own during the night without needing wake you or others, maybe this isn't such a distressing situation.

The usual concern is not that being up at night and sleeping during the day is harmful for the loved one per se, but that with dementia the loved one cannot safely be left unattended when he or she is awake. This is very disruptive to the household. The caregiver cannot be up all night and all day. In these cases I think that trying very hard to establish a more conventional sleep pattern for the loved one is justified.
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My husband has Parkinson's Dementia and has a lot of trouble sleeping at night. He goes back and forth between his recliner in the living room and our bed. It's driving me nuts because he can't get up by himself so he wakes me up constantly. I've tried reading to him to get him to sleep and that seems to work for getting him to sleep initially. I can't afford to have someone come in at night to help him so I'm stuck
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My mother in law does not sleep at all..... Day or night, she goes for days and days with no sleep and she is into everything.... If it will move she moves it or hides it.....she will not be still for one minute, day or night
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Oh Nissan2016, this must be absolutely terrible for you! How do you cope? Do you have in-home help? I assume you've consulted her doctors about this -- what do they say?
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My mother (she's 86) has been having trouble sleeping for months-although I think that at times she is actually asleep and doesn't realize it. The doctor put her on trazadone 50mg, and she said it didn't work so I gave her an extra 25mg. He also has put her on celexa for depression, which she also takes at night because it can make you sleepy. AND she will take melatonin and sometimes Calm Fortes. But she will sleep all day in a chair if you let her. Now she has got this constant groan with every breath, but doesn't realize she does it. She was diagnosed with dementia by her previous doctor (before my parents moved in with me a year ago) but the current doctor isn't so concerned because he thinks it is age related. My dad mopes around (he's 90) saying she groans all night and he can't sleep. I just don't know what to do other than turn up the music in my office. She's not in pain-she just says she's tired all the time. She's also getting B12 and iron supplements and is on a higher thyroid medication. I feel so guilty for being so frustrated. :(
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DRUGS ARENT THE ANSWER!!!

These people are your loved ones and you result to drugging them so they sleep.

I work in aged care, I work in the secure unit with 15 dementia residents and drugs is absolutely LAST option. Simple things like sitting them in the lounge, Maybe they just don't want to sleep in their bed would rather be on the lounge chair, at least they are getting sleep.

Also things like warm milo and something to eat, like a small bowl of yogurt or a few sandwiches they obviously didn't get enough to eat at their last meal. and cups of water. sometimes all it takes is a few glasses of water 30 minutes to let it go through the body, toilet then back to bed sleep all night.

drugs are an option but if and only if all the above steps have been done and they have been awake more then 5 hours during the night.
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The only thing that worked fo Dad was to keep him up during the day.
I would get him out of his chair if he was falling asleep. Take him out for a drive. Go somewhere...maybe Walmart (spending money was a favorite pass time).

Then, don't let him go to bed before 7pm. Later if I could manage it.

On many occasions he would still be up. I had to make sure to hide things like the keys to the house and car...TV controls, etc. but, mostly I found that making sure he was more active during the day was what worked.
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OK, i'm going through the same thing and i'm glad its not just me. my mom doesn't seem to know the difference between passing gas and having a BM. anyone else delete with that?
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Oh my riamac2! I thought my dad was the only one! He tells my mom at least 5 times a day that he has to poop when it's only gas! Also, he is obsessing about his bm's too!
Being that he can't do to the potty by himself anymore and my mom has to help, it's driving her crazy. AND add the fact that most nights he doesn't sleep (or is up a lot) my poor mom is at her wits end. We've tried keeping him up during the day but it just makes him more confused and it doesn't help him sleep better at night. He tells us he is always trying to put something together and he can't put the two parts together. We explain there is nothing to do or put together but.... We haven't tried a sleeping aid yet. Maybe tylenol PM but wrried how he will react.
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i'm having a hard time finding stuff for my mom to do during the day. i have spent money on coloring book , puzzles, cards, and crafts. she lets me set everything up and opens a coloring book and falls asleep. she gets bored with cards and puzzles.
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