What is Dementia
Dementia is the progressive decline in cognitive function due to damage or disease in the brain beyond what might be expected from normal aging. Particularly affected areas may be ...
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Up all night
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My husband is in stage 5 as best as I can tell. He has trouble sleeping and staying asleep. He complains of pains in his legs and the dr gave him meds for restless leg syndrom. The pain in his legs start late every evening and he starts pacing, marching and walking in circles to try to make them stop. The meds aren't helping enough and they are at the highest dosage.
Now he has started staying up all night. When he does that he refuses to take his evening medicines. He sleeps during the day, then stays up all night. Sometimes he is up over 24 hrs , refusing to go to bed and saying he isn't sleepy. I don't know if there is something I should be doing for him or if the DR can prescribe something. I just hate to add more meds to his already abundant collection. Also, he has sleep apnea and I'm afraid a sleeping aid might make him sleep too deeply. He refuses to use a cpap machine for the apnea. Does anybody have any advice? Posted on 10/04/09, 09:10 am |
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You poor dear. Caring for them can be exhausting. Sometimes you have to do what helps YOU as well.
I would talk to your Dr. Perhaps he needs an anti-anxiety med (suce as Ativan or Xanax) to help with the nighttime troubles. My husband had 'sundowners' real bad.. he was aggitated and restless in the late afternoon and evening. We were both worn out. The Ativan has worked great. He is much calmer and I have some peace. Good luck to you. 
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Might be the start of some sundowning along with restless leg. Ativan did help a little for my Dad, but at times he would still be awake, but then a bit tipsy.
I read that some people have luck with Rescue Remedy (a natural approach) and Melatonin (prescrption med, but less harsh) helps my Dad a little at night. Calms him, but doesn't make him as confused. This is one of the hardest parts of this disease I think. The longer they're up, the more confused and aggitated it seems to make them and the whole house gets turned on end from lack of sleep. I'm still amazed that my Father can stay up for days and not go down even with all the meds he takes now. One thing that helps him also is to keep him on the same schedule and have activites or taking a walk in early evening. Then sleep, lights off, calming music. Takes weeks to turn a schedule around, but worth it if it works. Now we're just all over the place, but it did help for awhile. Good luck and I hope you can find something that works to help.
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We went through the same thing with Mom... she would complain about pains in her legs but the medicine that the doctor gave her made her sleep all the time but if she didn't take some thing she would just roam around the house at all hours of the night. We did after a while get her a meds semi regulated and a very mild sedative that most of the time she refused to take. I like to that she was more spunky that stubborn:)
I hope you can talk to a doctor and get something worked out for your not only your husband's for your well being also.
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