Courtesy of Minding Our Elders

Dear Carol: My mom has late stage Alzheimer’s disease. Her doctor took her off the medications for slowing Alzheimer's in June, then prescribed Ativan for anxiety. At first we saw some improvement in her behavior, but it didn’t last long, so he added the antipsychotic medication Haldol.

Haldol made Mom drugged and sleepy, but worse, it caused hallucinations when she was awake. The doctor’s answer to that problem was to increase the dosage. She then could no longer walk, talk or swallow! She also developed a urinary tract infection and was hospitalized.

While she was in the hospital, the doctor in charge took her off of both Ativan and Haldol. She gradually became sweet and happy, and began to talk, laugh and enjoy life. She has slowly improved to where she can recognize family members and even remember someone’s name for a short time.

Last week she asked for biscuits and gravy. We were flabbergasted, as it’s been over a year since she even knew she was eating breakfast. Those medications are scary. - Suzanne

Dear Suzanne: Thanks for sharing your story. First, let me remind readers that I’m not a medical person, so my information stems from personal experience, reading expert opinions, and communicating with readers.

To me, your mom sounds like an extreme example of why medications need to be watched so carefully. Possibly the early Alzheimer’s medications were beneficial, but eventually the doctor felt that they’d done what they can, so he wisely removed those drugs and tried another approach. That makes sense.

While Haldol must work for some conditions, I’ve never received one letter praising the drug when used for dementia, but I’ve received many letters against it. My dad, post brain surgery, had hallucinations and paranoia from Haldol, so I’ve witnessed that first hand. Why your mom’s doctor increased the drug when she was reacting negatively baffles me. Atavan is reported to be helpful to some people with anxiety from dementia, if the drug is closely monitored.

It seems as though the medication side effects, which can mimic dementia, may have made your mom seem more ill than she was. The infection also may have been present for awhile, adding fuel to the fire.

Medications are an important part of treatment, and we are grateful for the many drugs that help people. However, elderly people often display increased sensitivity to medications and can need fewer drugs in lower doses.

Please consider contacting a geriatrician for your mom. These doctors specialize in elder care and may be more able to make appropriate decisions regarding her medications. Congratulations on your mom’s improvement! - Carol

Carol Bradley Bursack is the author of a support book on caregiving and runs a website supporting caregivers at Minding Your Elders. She can be reached at carol@mindingourelders.com.