Re: Question about medications...

[Guest guest]

If your dad has LBD, my understanding is that Halidol should be

avoided.

Instead the smallest dose possible of atypical psychotics such as

seroquell or zyprexa are recommended. I found some great research about

this ....

unfortunately many ofthe docs are not aware of this issue. If you

want the research article e-mail me & I'll email to you. Be sure his dr. sees

it

right away. The Halidol may need to be stopped asap.

Good luck.. my mom had these terrible behaivoral issues .... luckily

small

doeses of zyprexia and aricept got them under control. Be sure to

rule out any

infections such as bladder, and make sure he's not on any cold

medicines.

> Hi,

>

> My 84 year old father is having behavioral issues and was recently

> sent via ambulance to a behavioral health unit. He was on

Neurontin

> and Exelon. His sypmtoms are now worse than ever with agitation,

> stricking out, and extreme behaviors. The physicians are now

trying

> Depakote but having to give Haldol injections to calm him down. Do

> you have any advice for me? This is such a horrible thing to go

> through and I'm feeling so helpless. He did mostly okay on

Nuerontin

> (which they have taken him off completely now) but they need to

find

> something to calm him when agitated. I'd really appreciate any

help

> you can give. Thanks...

[Guest guest]

If your dad has LBD, my understanding is that Halidol should be

avoided.

Instead the smallest dose possible of atypical psychotics such as

seroquell or zyprexa are recommended. I found some great research about

this ....

unfortunately many ofthe docs are not aware of this issue. If you

want the research article e-mail me & I'll email to you. Be sure his dr. sees

it

right away. The Halidol may need to be stopped asap.

Good luck.. my mom had these terrible behaivoral issues .... luckily

small

doeses of zyprexia and aricept got them under control. Be sure to

rule out any

infections such as bladder, and make sure he's not on any cold

medicines.

> Hi,

>

> My 84 year old father is having behavioral issues and was recently

> sent via ambulance to a behavioral health unit. He was on

Neurontin

> and Exelon. His sypmtoms are now worse than ever with agitation,

> stricking out, and extreme behaviors. The physicians are now

trying

> Depakote but having to give Haldol injections to calm him down. Do

> you have any advice for me? This is such a horrible thing to go

> through and I'm feeling so helpless. He did mostly okay on

Nuerontin

> (which they have taken him off completely now) but they need to

find

> something to calm him when agitated. I'd really appreciate any

help

> you can give. Thanks...

[Guest guest]

Hi there.

Please tell us your name and give us your location - it might be that a

member of this group is in your town or at least in your state!

My father (sadly died 21st Oct 2002) had terrible behaviour problems - he

was quite vicious and aggressive. It is extremely hard to handle I know.

I am no doctor but HALDOL is considered a definite NO-NO for LBD sufferers.

Please ask those responsible to avoid this medication at all costs AND add

to the list Ativan - in fact any benzodiazepam drug. They are extremely bad

and merely INCREASE paranoia, aggression and agitation.

If you go to the Files area of this forum you will find the CCC papers

folder. In there you will find some drug info. Might be an idea to copy this

stuff off and distribute to the medical folks.

It is staggering how little people know.

My dad did well on Exelon. He did reasonably well on Zyprexa (Olanzipine)

and well for a while on Seroquel (Quetiapine) but eventually nothing helps

.... the drugs have serious side effects and you are left fighting them

alongside the LBD.

It is also virtually impossible to know if deterioration is due to the drugs

or the progression of the LBD.

Keep posting - the folks here are wonderful. They WILL respond.

You have our undivided attention and we will all do what we can.

I'm in the UK but there are plenty of good folks across the US.

Hang on in there!

Sally

[Guest guest]

Hi, My 87 year old mother has had LBD at least 6 years and, as a

pharmacist, I've taken special interest in her medications. If your

father has LBD, Haldol is absolutely contraindicated and you should

make sure it is listed as an allergy for him. Neurontin is

prescribed for several conditions...why was it prescribed for your

father?

When my mother first began having problems she asked my father to

take her to a doctor who could tell her what was wrong with her. At

Dad's request her family doctor referred her to a neurologist who did

a complete workup and very honestly presented my mother with her

diagnosis. Both she and my father were relieved to have a diagnosis

and know that they had a neurologist who would help them. Because of

this, my tendency is to want to work with a neurologist who would

refer my mother to a psychiatrist, if necessary, instead of the other

way around. I'm sure there are many good psychiatrists who treat LBD

(my husband is a clinical psychologist, so I'm certainly open to

treatment of psychological aspects of this illness), but I definitely

would encourage you to have a neurologist involved in your father's

treatment while hospitalized. My mother's agitation and

hallucinations are soothed by Seroquel, which is safe for LBD

patients. The appropriate dose is individualized. Over time we've

reduced her dose and she only receives it at bedtime because it

causes her to be severely drowsy if she receives a higher or daytime

dose. The hospital environment can be frightening, too, especially

since it may not be especially dementia-patient-friendly.

I'm thinking of you and your father - Take Care.

> Hi,

>

> My 84 year old father is having behavioral issues and was recently

> sent via ambulance to a behavioral health unit. He was on

Neurontin

> and Exelon. His sypmtoms are now worse than ever with agitation,

> stricking out, and extreme behaviors. The physicians are now

trying

> Depakote but having to give Haldol injections to calm him down. Do

> you have any advice for me? This is such a horrible thing to go

> through and I'm feeling so helpless. He did mostly okay on

Nuerontin

> (which they have taken him off completely now) but they need to

find

> something to calm him when agitated. I'd really appreciate any

help

> you can give. Thanks...

[Guest guest]

Hi there rxmom4625

Thank you for your very sensible and clear response to the medications

questions. It is always great to have professional input especially from

pharmacists and clinical psychologists - because you do have more knowledge

regarding the situation.

However - and with the most sincere respect - I am uneasy about something

you wrote, " ...Seroquel, which is safe for LBD patients.'

I have reservations about the use of the word 'safe'. In my experience NO

drug can be classified as 'safe' for LBD patients.

My father had Olanzipine and then Quetiapine. Both helped to some degree FOR

A WHILE but both instigated miserable side effects for him and eventually

exacerbated his suffering.

Sorry to be picky!

Please come back at me by all means.I can only give my layman's opinion. But

I was 'sold' Quetiapine (Seroquel) as the wonder drug. All the so called

'experts' raved about it. Tragically my experience of it was traumatic - as

you will know it has to be administered with extreme caution. I'm not the

only one here to have suspicions about the 'safety' of this medication.

Sally (UK)