Aricept and nightmares
My Mom has been taking 10mg Aricept for almost two months now and is having vivid and disturbing nightmares almost nightly. She often can not tell if the memories are real or not which is very upsetting to her. How common is this side effect from Aricept and is there a solution to the problem?
Thanks
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Email2/17/2012 Hi Ed,
My Mom's Alzheimer's started getting worse in 2005. She was moved to an Alzheimer's dementia home end of 2007 with moderate-severe stage.
When Mom was still at home, she started telling us about strange dreams and how they would wake her up at nights. We would find her sleeping on the sofa during the daytime and she would be talking to someone. Mom often talked with Dad, her parents, and siblings (all of which have been dead for 20 years or more).
Mom did not start taking any medications for the Alzheimer's until start 2008. (her dreams started before then) She is still on same meds and dosage --- Zyprexa (min. dose), Ativan (Lorazepam), and an anti-depressant. These have work great for Mom. But, now that her Alzheimer's is in the final stages, we may need to change the medications dosage amounts or a new RX.
This is part of the difficulty of finding the right medications and dosage. Is the behavior caused by the Alzheimer's progression, the medication(s), or a combination of both?
Have you read "The 36-Hour Day"? It sure gave me a lot of info on dementia and particularly Alzheimer's. One of the co-authors is Dr. Peter Rabien. The 5th edition is the newest update.
Hope you and the doctor come up with the right answers to this situation.
Nancy
Hi Ed,
Your mom is really lucky to have such a devoted son looking out for her.
There are a number of medications such as Aricept that can cause nightmares. Your mom is not the only one to report this. As Nancy said, check with your mom's doctor to make sure that none of the medications you take (or the combination of medications she takes ) are the cause of her nightmares. You do not have to wait until her appointment in March. Call the doctor's office and ask to speak either directly with the doctor or with the nurse in the office. This is important and it cannot wait until her next appointment.
In addition to speaking with the doctor, there is something else that you might find helps. Researchers have found that melatonin helps combat sleeplessness in dementia patients; that a restful and undisturbed sleep helps patients with dementia function better daily and that taking melatonin makes the symptoms of dementia less severe. Click on the link in blue to take you to the article Melatonin as a Supplemental Treatment.
Please let us know what you learn. Your mom's experience may be helpful to some other readers,
Dina
2/19/2012 Hi Ed,
Yes, The 36-Hour Day helped me tremendously. I was fortunate to hear Doctor Rabins talk in person a few months ago. It was easy to see the concern and compassion he has for both the persons with Alzheimer's and also for the loved ones.
Good that you are calling the doctor tomorrow. As your Mom's disease progresses, there may be changes that pop-up that you will need to contact the office before her next scheduled appointment. And, any doctor who deals with dementia patients on a daily basis is well aware that things can change day-to-day.
Glad to hear that your Mom agreed that it was time for her to move in with you. That alone is a big victory for both of you.
But, because of her memory being affected, she may not remember all of the conversation much less that she agreed to it. Unfortunately, that is one of the battles you will likely face throughout your Mom's Alzheimer's journey.
And, moving in with you means that your Mom is admitting that she needs your help with her day to day living. Having to give up some of our dependence is never easy. But, it sounds like you are a loving compassionate son and that the two of you have a good working relationship.
Please let us know how things go. You may also want to check out the Caregiving Forum with Ann. I post my Mom's story there. There are many of us caregivers sharing our stories about our loved ones and their struggles with a type of dementia.
Nancy
My father was admitted into the hospital for elevated blood pressure on Thursday. He has always been a little forgetful with age, no other real signs of Alzheimer's or Dementia. By Saturday his primary doctor felt that she should start him on Aricept to stabilize his memory.
After given the first dose of Aricept my father began to become delusional. He thought he was no longer in the hospital but at a conference in which he met a lady and had lunch with. He left the hospital without his walker, looking for this so called lady and attempted to wait for a bus to bring him home.
When his doctor was informed of the incident she insisted that it could not be from one dose of the Aricept as I believed. Due to the fact he had never acted like this way before. From there he was given an MRI, urine test and several others that all came back negative.
At this point he's gone from bad to worse since being placed on Aricept. I am really concerned about this medication and its effects on my father. His doctor is saying its best to keep him on this medication or his memory will decline and keeps telling me that it is not the cause of his sudden confusion.
2/21/2012 Welcome SS80,
Difficult from this end to say if the medication is causing this problem or if your father just has just started having hallucinations now.
Has your Father's doctor given you an exact diagnosis of what type of dementia she is treating? If she has not, then I would definitely get that established.
One of the early signs of Alzheimer's, and certain other dementia, is memory problems. But, many things other than Alzheimer's can also include this same issue. Mild Cognitive Impairment starts with memory problems. From my research, I do not believe it is considered Alzheimer's --- although some people who develop MCI may progress into Alzheimer's in the future.
There are several different drugs that can be used for people with memory problems and/or dementia. Our Library section has some information. Please click on the following
www.alzheimersweekly.com/content/charts-comparing-medications
These days Alzheimer's, memory problems, and dementia seem to be one of the prime media topics. Also, research has shown that if memory problems are happening with the possibility of a dementia forming, it may help the individual to start them on one of these drugs like Aricept or Excelon.
You can always ask about taking your Father to a specialist to confirm whether or not he has the beginning of Alzheimer's or some other dementia. How much experience does your Father's doctor have with dementia?
And, if these new behaviors are related to using Aricept, there other medications the doctor could give your Father.
Wish you the best in getting some help for your Father and in finding out just what is causing the new behavior.
Nancy
2/22/12 Hi EJK,
Glad to hear that things may be calming down for your Mother and everyone else.
For someone with Alzheimer's disease any changes can possibly cause confusion. They may not be as able to adapt to new surroundings or other changes as the rest of us. One of the things Alzheimer's starts affecting is our part of the brain controlling our reasoning capabilities and following what is going on in our lives.
The effectiveness of Aricept, Namenda, and other drugs used for dementia may diminish with use. Also, as the person's Alzheimer's progresses the drug may no longer be as effective. Certain drugs are designed to help more with the early or middle stages of the disease.
Also everyone tends to react differently to prescription drugs. This applies whether it is a dementia drug or another type. Sometimes it takes a while before the doctor comes up with a drug (or combination of drugs) that help the person with Alzheimer's.
Depending on where your Mother is in her Alzheimer's, I agree that the nightmares, depression, and also the sleeping problem could be partially disease related. My Mom has had these problems off and on ever since she reached a certain stage.
Hope things settle down for you. I hope the doctor finds something that will help your Mother.
Nancy
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2/17/2012 Hi Ed,
First, have you talked with your Mom's vivid nightmares? If you have not, please let the doctor know. Anytime a person is prescribed new medication, if troubling event(s) start occurring, the doctor needs to know.
Second, what type of dementia does your Mom have? How long has she been showing symptoms of the dementia? How far into the dementia is your Mom?
My Mom is in the final stages of Alzheimer's and has never used Aricept. When she was diagnosed with moderate-severe Alzheimer's, she was having very vivid dreams. Mom thought her dreams were real. Later she developed hallucinations.
Sometimes it can take some checking to determine whether it is the medication or a symptom of the type of dementia that is causing the problem. That is why it is important to talk with your Mom's doctor about what she is experiencing.
Every person goes through a dementia in their own way. Also, there may be some common drug side effects. But, that does not mean those are the only side effects.
Nancy