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Originally posted by: Steve_SanJose
If you need a quicker response, or need to talk to someomne live, call the Alzheimer's Association toll-free no cost help line. They are open 24 – 7. 1 800 272 3900. Thay deal with problems like this every day, and might give you needed immediate help.
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Originally posted by: Dottie LSP
I have nothing to offer but to say I am so very sorry. As to what to do..........you desperately need help. A male CNA that you can look for on Craig's list may be cheaper.
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Joined: 1/14/2015
Posts: 40463
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Originally posted by: lovinghim
I don’t know how much any longer I can hang on! He wears Depends and has started pulling those and his pants down in front and urinating wherever he stands. Last night it was in front of the stove. During the night he sat next to the bed without any clothing and refused to get up. This went on for almost two hours. Finally, he got cold and got up, let me dress him and went to sleep. In the last few weeks it seems he has fallen off a “cliff” into a whole new level of behavior.
I have tried to keep things light for my sanity and find something “humorous even in his delusions”. Possibly that is wrong – but it is a wry humor.
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Originally posted by: lurk
I use Melatonin once in awhile for myself--once in awhile because I always wake up with a headache the next morning. Maybe I'll try a half sometime. (Or eliminate the sleep depriving problem if I only knew how.  )
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Originally posted by: lovinghim
Thanks for showing concern. He seems to have settled down for today - still very confused, but manageable. He is on Exelon Patch and Namenda. We see the Neuro next week. I will let him know about all of the new behavior. Does anyone use Melatonin for sleep? Are there side-effects?
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Originally posted by: Cathy J. M.
Caryl, what medications is he on? Any chance that he has a UTI? Be sure to call his brain specialist Monday morning to report these dire problems and ask for help.
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Originally posted by: JAB
quote: Does anyone use Melatonin for sleep? Are there side-effects?
A clinical trial did not find that melatonin was generally beneficial for treating insomnia in Alzheimer's patients, although it may be helpful for select individuals.
Safety and side effects have not been adequately studied. (Actually, that's the under statement of the century.) This is a powerful hormone that affects pretty much every tissue and organ in the body, and we are just beginning to learn about it.
Most other countries regulate melatonin as a prescription drug because of that.
There are some serious potential problems associated with its long-term use, and it can interact with quite a few meds that are commonly prescribed for dementia patients.
http://www.alzforum.org/dis/tre/drc/detail.asp?id=52
If you do decide to try it, a low dose is preferable, e.g., 0.1-0.3 mg, and do not use it on a daily basis -- you can build up a tolerance so it no longer is effective, and it can end up triggering sleep disturbances. Not only does the above synopsis warn of possible problems at 3mg, but there's a discussion on another part of the forum -- about the failure of the clinical trial -- that says, "Dosages of 2.5 and 3 milligrams of melatonin produce short sleep and nightmares followed by drowsiness. The experiment should be repeated with more physiological dosages of 0.1 or 0.2 milligrams."
(The Alzheimer Research Forum is for scientists and medical researchers who are studying dementia. Most of the big names belong and post there.)
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