Hello everyone, My name is Peggy and this is my first visit to the message boards. My Father, who ia suffering from AD. He does not sleep. . .he will sleep no more than 1 hour a day, sometimes he can go for 2 days without sleep. He looks terrible, we have tried everything from no sugar, or stimulants in the afternoon to melatonin in the evening with sleepy time tea. He wanders, He is on hospice; the nurse took him off all of his meds and put him on thorazine. In the past he has been on seroquel,ativan, risperdal, trazodone, the list goes on. I don't believe that this is sundowners anymore. He doesn't sleep period. . .His hear rate is irregular, sometimes his blood pressure is high, his skin on his chest on the left side looks puffy. I am concerned that he could face serious injuries without any sleep. His bedroom is on the 2nd floor, and he has 8 stairs to walk up and down. he does have live in help, but when he's up, she's up. . .any suggestion? or comments? I would greatly appreciate it!!! :jester:

Has he just gotten this way since the AD? The only time I've heard of a person not sleeping is a friend of ours and it happened to her because she has Bipolar Disorder. They had to put her in the hospital because of it. I think they finally got her medicine regulated, and that helped. Otherwise, I just don't know. It's a terrible situation for you and I don't blame you for worrying so much - it could very well get dangerous, Good luck, I hope you find some answers soon. I would just keel over if I didn't get my sleep in, it makes you wonder how he can keep going so long. C

Dear Peggy,

This is a very serious situation. We all need sleep; in fact we can get psychotic from sleep deprivation. Please speak to his doctor about this. Is it possible he is dozing off all day long and awake all night so it only seems like he gets no sleep?

The doctor can prescribe something stronger than melatonin and sleep tea. I wish you luck.

He is in the care of Hospice, which means his illness is terminal. Maybe he would be better off (no stairs, doctor on all 24/7) in an actual hospice facility.

Love,
Martha