Alzheimer's Disease Support Group

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and characterized by progressive cognitive deterioration with declining activities of daily living and neuropsychiatric symptoms or behavioral changes. An early symptom is memory loss (amnesia), usually manifesting as minor forgetfulness that becomes pronounced with illness progression, with relative...

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Sleeping So Much

deleted_user
deleted_user
My mom is somewhere between stage 5 and 6. I am her primary caretake. Daddy passed away almost 3 mos ago and his was her caretaker. She was doing pretty good, but there has been an increased decline within the last month. The biggest thing that has changed is that she sleeps so much. There are days that I cannot get her up until almost 5pm. She's on Prozac since Daddy's passing. Does anyone else's loved one sleep like this? Should I contact her dr again to see about increasing her anti-depressant?? I just don't know what to do. Any suggestions???
GeorgiaW
GeorgiaW
I would definately talk to her doctor about her sleeping and meds but also understand that losing your father, her husband could have been one of those things that seems to jump AD patients into another level of the disease.
There is no real "normal" behavior for an AD patient however as they reach the end stages sleeping more is not unusual because more and more of their brain is shutting down. Still it would be best to go over everything wiht her doctor and make sure there is nothing else going on to cause the increased sleeping.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I agree with GeorgiaW. There may be something going on with her that you are unable to recognize because of her ability to communicate. Is she drinking enough water? If this is questionable, have her checked for a UTI...common problem which tends to exacerbate Dementia. Change in the time of year also tends to change behavior. The meds might be too much for her or the mix of meds might be causing the sleep. Good luck!!
Sarahsma
Sarahsma
Prozac makes me sleepy and I dont have alzheimers...there are others that arent so sleep inducing...do your research...but she is supposed to be grieving...grieving...loneliness...depression they all feel the same...
deleted_user
deleted_user
I took my mom to the dr this afternoon and they took her off of her seroquel. they did a chest x-ray, are going to do blood work and going to check for a uti on friday morning. that should be fun, her appt is at 8:45........hopefully w/o the seroquel she'll get up easier!! thanks for the information that you guys gave to me. i can't loose my mom right now. it already feels like i'm grieving for both my daddy and my mom.
deleted_user
deleted_user
BecF...you are grieving. Your mother is changing...it is normal to be grieving for the loss of her....
deleted_user
deleted_user
YES Many times UTI,S can go undetected. It can cause tons of prob..Increased confusion .. sleep disorders and etc.. hope they find out what is going on.. Love D
deleted_user
deleted_user
well, i took mom to the dr and she does have a uti, they also drew blood, so we'll see what that turns up. i'll keep you all updated!!
deleted_user
deleted_user
Both of my parents are ALWAYS Sleeping when anyone visits.
I have spoken to the doctors and nurses, but they are unable to get mom out and about, even with a wheelchair.
Dad does go down for meals at times, gets the mail from the front office, but he never participates in many of the activities.
I even think dad sleeps in his shirts, sweaters and slacks...!!!
deleted_user
deleted_user
Glad you found out about the UTI..Maybe know that this has been addressed shewill be up a little more.. Love D
deleted_user
deleted_user
I agree with the UTI but also i found out that to much medication can cause sleepiness also. for example my mom is on two different pain medications vicadin and tylnoyel 3. i took mom to the er three different times when she became this sleepy. they finaly told me to back off the pain meds. as much as she can tolerate.
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