Help With Sleeping
Help With Sleeping
My mom is 74, diagnosed with Alzheimer's 4 years ago. Her symptoms are markedly worse when she isn't sleeping well and when her stress level is high. Sleep seems to be a constant problem for her. Her doctor prescribed a very small dose of Quetiapine 3 nights a week, but I feel like the medication might be making her confusion worse, and she seems to hallucinate sometimes, especially during the night, and I wonder if that is also caused by the Quetiapine.
Has anyone had a doctor recommend a… read more
Thank you so much, RobertED. We’ve had mixed results with melatonin, but it’s been quite a while since we last tried it, so I might suggest that. I appreciate your reply.
Marnie, my wife takes a 5 mg (timed release) melatonin tablet before bed each night. My good friend LindyLou (a retired nurse, as I recall) recommended this treatment to someone else, but I have also had success with it. Melatonin, as I learned, is a hormone that is produced in a healthy brain and is used to regulate the sleep-wake cycle. A dementia patient may be deficient in this hormone, so a supplemental tablet helps. If this approach sounds useful, the next step should be to contact your mother’s doctor before beginning treatment. Melatonin does not require a prescription, but it’s still important to get your Mom’s doctor involved. Good luck.
