Re: Ativan/lorazepam

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

My mom is the one with LBD but I have taken Ativan/lorazepam on and off for

years now because I have problems with anxiety/panic.

These drugs are not bad in and of themselves (they helped me through some

tough times) but I did want you to know that with prolonged care these drugs

can cause something called rebound anxiety syndrome. Basically, after a

while they do the opposite of calming us down and make the panic/anxiety or

behaviors you are trying to stop worse. I only take them now when extremely

stressed and have had a panic attack. Even then, after taking one or two a

day for three days I stop taking any more.

Many on this list have tried other drugs such as Seroquel. My mom is on a

very low dose of Seroquel and it has done her wonders. It has made her more

sleepy at higher dosages so that is why she only takes 1/2 a tab twice a

day - in the afternoon and evening.

Hope this helps.

Courage

[Guest guest]

,

We started my Mother on Lorazepam to calm her and at first it didn't seem to

harm her.

After a while, I could tell when the nursing home had given it to her. The next

day she was

out of it, she drooled and when she slept she would moan and her arms and legs

would

jerk. It also stopped calming her and seemed to make her more agitated. I had

the doctor

remove it from her medications. It seemed to start causes problems after she had

been on

it round the clock for a week or two and then they started using just as needed.

Exelon and Seroquel does a much better job of calming her with out causing as

many side

affects. She also has started taking a antidepressant. You need to find either

or both a

good neurologist or geriatric psychiatrist that knows LBD to help you find the

right

medications to help your wife.

in Dallas

>

> I see that Ativan/lorazepam is one of the listed drugs to avoid, but

> my wife has been on this for months now in an attempt to control her

> behavior (she physically attacked in home help that was coming in to

> spell me for two hours on weekdays). Now she's in nursing home (for

> past five weeks) and on the same drug to keep her calm & controlled

> enough for them to manage her. Why should it be avoided? If she

> isn't on some kind of sedative, how can they control her? If they

> can't control her, she will be put out of NH and returned home where

> I won't be provided with in home help because of her behavior. What

> to do?

> Thanks,

> C. Vigil

[Guest guest]

,

I do not think all behavior is controlled with drugs. I fought the nh

all the time about this. If there is " bad " behavior, often Mom was

scared. Even with me when I made her do things faster than she wanted

or if she did not understand, her behavior was not to good. And when I

did put her on meds, it was for agitation. And I used extremely low

doses of what ever I gave her. I do think MD's and nh want them on

drugs so they can manage them better instead of aides and nurses

responding to slowing down so patients can do things at their own speed.

There was usually a basis to Mom's problems and I often found them out

later.

Any nh I have encounters, wants patients to adjust to them instead of

the other way around. That happen in the hospital too. And I just took

Mom off all the stuff they gave her in the hospital. I carried her out

of the hospital in depends and she never had a problem with that prior

to going in.

Or after she got off meds.

I preferred to work with her mixed up thinking and had very little bad

behavior unless I got impatient with her.

Just my experience. I do caution people to see what is going on if

there is acting out, even if they are on meds.

Donna R

Do you want to read more about Lewy Body? You can also read the

Thistle, the LBD Newsletter. Just click on:

http://www.lbda.org

[Guest guest]

Donna, very good point about LBD LO's need for extra time to respond

to questions or instructions. Sometimes I have to wait 30 to 45

seconds for a response, which doesn't sound like much but it's too

long for the AL or NH worker to wait. We just have to keep after them

to slow down.

Jan, Sacramento

> ,

>

> I do not think all behavior is controlled with drugs. I fought the

nh

> all the time about this. If there is " bad " behavior, often Mom was

> scared. Even with me when I made her do things faster than she

wanted

> or if she did not understand, her behavior was not to good. And

when I

> did put her on meds, it was for agitation. And I used extremely low

> doses of what ever I gave her. I do think MD's and nh want them on

> drugs so they can manage them better instead of aides and nurses

> responding to slowing down so patients can do things at their own

speed.

> There was usually a basis to Mom's problems and I often found them

out

> later.

>

> Any nh I have encounters, wants patients to adjust to them instead

of

> the other way around. That happen in the hospital too. And I just

took

> Mom off all the stuff they gave her in the hospital. I carried her

out

> of the hospital in depends and she never had a problem with that

prior

> to going in.

> Or after she got off meds.

>

> I preferred to work with her mixed up thinking and had very little

bad

> behavior unless I got impatient with her.

>

> Just my experience. I do caution people to see what is going on if

> there is acting out, even if they are on meds.

>

> Donna R

>

> Do you want to read more about Lewy Body? You can also read the

> Thistle, the LBD Newsletter. Just click on:

>

> http://www.lbda.org