Mom is not improving. In January with the UTIs there was confusion, but mostly unresponsivness. This time, she is increasingly agitated and is hallucinating. She has not slept at all since she woke up yesterday morning. They want to give her Haladol. Sorry if I didn’t spell that right. The evening nurse yesterday advised against it strongly. What is your experience with this drug in an elderly patient? Thanks..
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Kristin
Oh, Shandi, the nurse is right. DO NOT LET THEM GIVE THIS TO YOUR MOM! This is absolutely inappropriate and, per the drug’s literature, can lead to death. Check it out on any of the drug web sites. There are much better, more appropriate drugs for your mother’s situation and condition.
Denise
Yep–say no to Haldol–and stick to your guns about this.
Thinking of you… Keep us posted when you can.
Trish
Shandi, My experience with this is limited but it was negative. Enlist the help of another doctor if needed. Good for that nurse for speaking up! Take care and good luck.
Kathy
Shandi,
I have not had a personal experience with haldol but it is on my NO NO list!
The Unit Known as Shandi
I allowed them to try a very small dose. Unfortunately, I have issues blotting from my cell phone and couldn’t see your responses. I’m glad that I told them the smallest dose possible, because she became even more agitated. After an hour of that, the doctor ordered Ativan, which we have used rarely but successfully since September. The ER doctor told me last night that it is also a bad drug for dementia patients. We had to try something,though. I was afraid she was going to hurt herself. The nurse was going to give her Trazadone, which she does take nightly, along with the Ativan Our primary care doctor said never to give the Ativan after 2:00 PM, and that order is bolded all over her records. We would appreciate your prayers tonight. Mom is not asleep yet, but has quieted down and is resting. The hospital doctor told me this afternoon that he believes her to be bacon to baseline and plans to discharge her tomorrow. I see him at 9:00 AM. I will, obviously, ask him to keep her longer. Again, unless there is vast improvement, I can’t take her home. She is back to a 2 person max assist and this altered mental state is more than I can handle. I have such great respect for those of you caring for loved ones with advanced dementia. There have been a few lighter moments in all of this. During the peak of her agitation, I asked her to pray outloud. She had been trying to climb out of bed to go home. She prayed, “Thank you dear Lord, for our determination. ”
Meanwhile, my husband had an injection in his spine today. Our daughter is caring for her Dad tonight. It is nice to see her learning to care for him. Thanks, all, for caring.
The Unit Known as Shandi
The technical issue I am having blotting from my mobile device is being unable to select my category. I can see the first few blobs in the list, but can’t access the lower part of the category list. Anyone else have this problem, or is it just that my smart phone is smarter than I am?
Denise
Hi–I check all blog posts so can fix the category selection for you. I have not added a blog post on my smart phone so I’m not sure if it’s a universal problem. I actually dropped my smart phone in a glass of water and it’s no longer working. Otherwise, I would check for you. I do know that I could see both posts and comments on my smart phone (pre-death-by-water). Hope all goes okay today. Let us know when you can.
Trish
Shandi & Denise, I tested it out on my phone and had the same problem (I couldn’t scroll down on the list to my name). Sorry about your phone Denise! That’s awful.
Kathy
Denise,
Put you phone in a bowl and cover it, top and bottom, with rice for a day
Bette
Hi Shandi,
I have not heard of the drug you mentioned. My mother is on a small (2.5mg.) daily dose of Abilify. It too, is not a perfect choice (black-boxed are the words they used). She has been on this for about 6 years, along with seroquel at night. Quality of life for her has been of great discussion with these two drugs.
I have heard that Ativan long term (and we’ve experienced) is not a good choice. We were told longer than 6 weeks could create more agitation.
When my mother has experienced extreme agitation we have been introduced to injectable Gionon IM, or Zyprexa IM.
If you get to a point where you would like a phone conversation with a very reputable geriatric psychiatrist/pharmacologist–I could introduce you. I have found this contact a wonderful resource within my mother’s dementia and other struggles which medication has played a part in.
Take Care Shandi. You are right to request they keep her until you all are ready.
Hope your phone is fixed soon.
Kaye Swain
My senior dad, in end stage Parkinsons Disease, was given Haladol and he, too, got more agitated. They then changed him to Risperadone and that worked MUCH better. But it is vital to realize each person is different and what works for one, doesn’t always work for others. I discovered that with Eurythrymycine (SP?) – I can NOT take it, but a friend LOVES it when she gets sinus infections! Praying for extra wisdom for you.
The Unit Known as Shandi
Bringing Mom home today, with a prescription for Seroquel. Thank you all, so much, for your amazing words of wisdom. And Bette, I would love the name of your pharmacologist. If you asked Denise, she could give you me email address.Thanks again.
Bette
Hi Shandi,
I spoke with Dr. Rosenbloom yesterday, and e-mailed you some information.
Glad to hear things are so much better.(: