Seroquel/Guardianship - Alzheimer's Disease & Dementia Message Board

Janie5301 · 04-22-2008, 07:48 AM

Morning all,
I just got back from the neurologists office and after much discussion regarding my hubands "pacing" and anxiety, he has added Seroquel to go along with his other meds, ie. Namenda, Aricept, Trazadone. Does anyone have any experience with this drug? Also, do I need to get guardianship to deal with his decisions if we already have living will, durable POA, will?

Thanks,
Janie

Janie5301 · 04-22-2008, 09:22 AM

lynnepstein,

What's been your experience with this med? Are you in the medical field? I haven't started him on it yet and now I'm a bit apprehensive...
Janie

ibake&pray · 04-22-2008, 09:53 AM

My Mom was on Seroquel and it really requires a balancing act. If your hubby is in a controlled area where someone will have their eyes on him 24/7, they can watch him to make sure that he will be balanced right. But it is strong and it takes time to get the right amount in you and keep you on a controlled level. I don't think that I would have tried it on my own as bad as my mom was, and with the other drugs that she was on at the time.

Janie5301 · 04-22-2008, 10:57 AM

He is at home with a caregiver during the day and me at night. So would you say it helped your Mom or not? I'm really struggling with this because I don't want to over medicate him, but at the same time he is SO anxious he's miserable. I talked to my sister, who is a Social worker in Chicago, and she's seen good results with it but also said to have blood work done to make sure all of that is in good shape.
Janie

Janie5301 · 04-22-2008, 04:41 PM

Ok...I've had enough. I just called the hospital in our area that works with geriatric dementia patients (usually 60 and over) and my husband is going to be admitted tomorrow for a medication/behavior evaluation. I can't in good faith put him on yet another drug and "hope" for the best. They said they would keep him possibly 5 days to evaluate him, observe his symptoms and make any adjustments he may need. I feel like the weight of the world is off my shoulders and something positive will come out of this. Thanks for all the input and support...I'll keep you updated....
Janie