Looking for help with delusions and halkucinations

[Guest guest]

My Dad has had PD for just under 10 years and LBD was mentioned a few years ago,

but he took a serious turn for the worse in May of this year after some

dehydration and then a UTI. This has been our first exposure to the delusions

and hallucinations and I need some guidance. I have read the book " Caregivers

Guide to LBD " which was a tremendous book, and it has helped with some of the

aspects.

While my Dad was in rehab recently (and has since started again at home), he has

been mean to my Mom. They are about 6 weeks from their 50th wedding

anniversary. This is the couple that has always been happy and always did

romantic things for each other. Now, at night, appears to be in dreams, he is

hitting my Mom. We have talked about moving beds...or even room. That we can

basically fix.

However, it is one of his delusional thoughts that I need some help with. I am

close enough to visit daily, however, now I have gotten a few calls at work that

my Dad wants to talk and he is angry with my Mom and said that she wants a

divorce and is mean to her. My Mom is an angel and if it isn't bad enough that

my Dad's condition is devastating for her too (she is seeking counseling for

her), but then to hear this.

My Mom is the primary caregiver and (there is additional help both family and

hired)so she is in a better place than me (for the most part), and knows that is

not her husband and that it is the disease. I, on the other hand, am having a

terrible time dealing with this and don't know how to handle it at times.

Somethings he says or does, I am able to play along to satisfy him, but I don't

know how to deal with his feeling that they are divorcing or getting separated.

He gets angry and he has always been the laid back one. He has said things to

me to that hurt now because we were always so close and part of me gets that it

is the disease, but it doesn't stop the tears from flowing.

We had a wedding pic hanging at rehab, we were working on ideas for their

anniversary which included writing memories down and hiding one every day

starting with the 50 days before their anniversary. But it is only temporary.

Any help or advise that I could try to say to my Dad would be helpful.

Thank you,

Sue

[Guest guest]

Hi Sue

So sorry to hear.  My husband did the same thing with the hitting etc a few

years ago, it is so upsetting.  Also had the delusions and

hallucinations....still hallucinates now and then.  Ours did get better thank

God as far as the sleep things.  He is now in the long term care and is

declining...I try to understand that it isnt him the man I love but  the

disease but it still hurts and I get depressed....hang in there Sue and know you

are not alone.

Marilynn

email me if you wish.

To: LBDcaregivers

Sent: Friday, August 3, 2012 9:08 AM

Subject: Looking for help with delusions and halkucinations

 

My Dad has had PD for just under 10 years and LBD was mentioned a few years ago,

but he took a serious turn for the worse in May of this year after some

dehydration and then a UTI. This has been our first exposure to the delusions

and hallucinations and I need some guidance. I have read the book " Caregivers

Guide to LBD " which was a tremendous book, and it has helped with some of the

aspects.

While my Dad was in rehab recently (and has since started again at home), he has

been mean to my Mom. They are about 6 weeks from their 50th wedding anniversary.

This is the couple that has always been happy and always did romantic things for

each other. Now, at night, appears to be in dreams, he is hitting my Mom. We

have talked about moving beds...or even room. That we can basically fix.

However, it is one of his delusional thoughts that I need some help with. I am

close enough to visit daily, however, now I have gotten a few calls at work that

my Dad wants to talk and he is angry with my Mom and said that she wants a

divorce and is mean to her. My Mom is an angel and if it isn't bad enough that

my Dad's condition is devastating for her too (she is seeking counseling for

her), but then to hear this.

My Mom is the primary caregiver and (there is additional help both family and

hired)so she is in a better place than me (for the most part), and knows that is

not her husband and that it is the disease. I, on the other hand, am having a

terrible time dealing with this and don't know how to handle it at times.

Somethings he says or does, I am able to play along to satisfy him, but I don't

know how to deal with his feeling that they are divorcing or getting separated.

He gets angry and he has always been the laid back one. He has said things to me

to that hurt now because we were always so close and part of me gets that it is

the disease, but it doesn't stop the tears from flowing.

We had a wedding pic hanging at rehab, we were working on ideas for their

anniversary which included writing memories down and hiding one every day

starting with the 50 days before their anniversary. But it is only temporary.

Any help or advise that I could try to say to my Dad would be helpful.

Thank you,

Sue

[Guest guest]

Hi Sue

So sorry to hear.  My husband did the same thing with the hitting etc a few

years ago, it is so upsetting.  Also had the delusions and

hallucinations....still hallucinates now and then.  Ours did get better thank

God as far as the sleep things.  He is now in the long term care and is

declining...I try to understand that it isnt him the man I love but  the

disease but it still hurts and I get depressed....hang in there Sue and know you

are not alone.

Marilynn

email me if you wish.

To: LBDcaregivers

Sent: Friday, August 3, 2012 9:08 AM

Subject: Looking for help with delusions and halkucinations

 

My Dad has had PD for just under 10 years and LBD was mentioned a few years ago,

but he took a serious turn for the worse in May of this year after some

dehydration and then a UTI. This has been our first exposure to the delusions

and hallucinations and I need some guidance. I have read the book " Caregivers

Guide to LBD " which was a tremendous book, and it has helped with some of the

aspects.

While my Dad was in rehab recently (and has since started again at home), he has

been mean to my Mom. They are about 6 weeks from their 50th wedding anniversary.

This is the couple that has always been happy and always did romantic things for

each other. Now, at night, appears to be in dreams, he is hitting my Mom. We

have talked about moving beds...or even room. That we can basically fix.

However, it is one of his delusional thoughts that I need some help with. I am

close enough to visit daily, however, now I have gotten a few calls at work that

my Dad wants to talk and he is angry with my Mom and said that she wants a

divorce and is mean to her. My Mom is an angel and if it isn't bad enough that

my Dad's condition is devastating for her too (she is seeking counseling for

her), but then to hear this.

My Mom is the primary caregiver and (there is additional help both family and

hired)so she is in a better place than me (for the most part), and knows that is

not her husband and that it is the disease. I, on the other hand, am having a

terrible time dealing with this and don't know how to handle it at times.

Somethings he says or does, I am able to play along to satisfy him, but I don't

know how to deal with his feeling that they are divorcing or getting separated.

He gets angry and he has always been the laid back one. He has said things to me

to that hurt now because we were always so close and part of me gets that it is

the disease, but it doesn't stop the tears from flowing.

We had a wedding pic hanging at rehab, we were working on ideas for their

anniversary which included writing memories down and hiding one every day

starting with the 50 days before their anniversary. But it is only temporary.

Any help or advise that I could try to say to my Dad would be helpful.

Thank you,

Sue

[Guest guest]

It's very important you find a psychiatrist that specializes in Parkinson's. My

husband exhibited the same behaviors (plus being convinced I was having an

affair) and all of it was changed with medication. We did have to change

sleeping arrangements--separate beds--but clonazepam will help the punching

considerably. I sleep in another bed due to his twitching which wakes me.

 

In most cases, seroquel will stop the paranoia, delusions, hallucinations and

agressive behavior. There are other medications available which will make things

much better, but you have to ask AND you need a psychiatrist familiar with PD (I

can't stress that enough). The brain of a PD patient is different and meds will

work differently on them. The first psychiatrist we went to made things worse

because she tried to treat him like she would anyone else. Unfortunately, it

doesn't work that way.

 

Good luck

, who's been there and it ain't pretty.

[Guest guest]

My dad has been suffering with LBD for awhile, but it wasn't until recently that

he has been " really diagnosed " . I have mentioned before that his greatest

difficulty is the orthostatic hypotension. It is his most frequent symptom and

the most dangerous, seeing that in reality he could fall every time he stands

up.

He has been punching and has had difficulty for many years sleeping. His

hallucinations have all but stopped since we took him off of the

carbidopa/levidopa. Yes, he is stiff and he has the tremors, but we felt that as

long as he wasn't really complaining about pain that tremors and stiffness are

better than hallucinations. The carbi/levi was not doing enough to help the

tremors but it was lowering his blood pressure, and that is our main concern. He

goes into these " seizure like " episodes, as was mentioned on the boards before,

then goes down.

I don't know the dosage of carbi/levi your loved ones are on, but maybe it is

worth a shot speaking to your doctor to lower it and see if it helps with the

hallucinations.

I am with you all in this.

N

[Guest guest]

My dad has been suffering with LBD for awhile, but it wasn't until recently that

he has been " really diagnosed " . I have mentioned before that his greatest

difficulty is the orthostatic hypotension. It is his most frequent symptom and

the most dangerous, seeing that in reality he could fall every time he stands

up.

He has been punching and has had difficulty for many years sleeping. His

hallucinations have all but stopped since we took him off of the

carbidopa/levidopa. Yes, he is stiff and he has the tremors, but we felt that as

long as he wasn't really complaining about pain that tremors and stiffness are

better than hallucinations. The carbi/levi was not doing enough to help the

tremors but it was lowering his blood pressure, and that is our main concern. He

goes into these " seizure like " episodes, as was mentioned on the boards before,

then goes down.

I don't know the dosage of carbi/levi your loved ones are on, but maybe it is

worth a shot speaking to your doctor to lower it and see if it helps with the

hallucinations.

I am with you all in this.

N

[Guest guest]

that is the point that you sometimes get to making a choice between

movement and mentation. taking away the sinemet (carbidopida) can cause

increased muscle rigidity and slow movement but the up side is sometimes

mentation/hallucinations improve!! not easy choices in this very difficult

disease!

[Guest guest]

that is the point that you sometimes get to making a choice between

movement and mentation. taking away the sinemet (carbidopida) can cause

increased muscle rigidity and slow movement but the up side is sometimes

mentation/hallucinations improve!! not easy choices in this very difficult

disease!

[Guest guest]

I've been " lurking " since my husband's death in October of 2011....seems

like yesterday. However; at one point he experienced MANY hallucinations,

and delusions of all kinds. When the neurologist learned of this he took

away the selegiline which had been a medication for a few years. Immediately

the hallucinations stopped, to his regret, by the way, and so did most of

thedelusions. If your loved one is on selegiline, you might question

it...All the best, Marcia C.