My mother suffers from Dementia and has been placed on Resperdal, is this safe for her?

29 Mar 2012

Hi, I'm sorry your mother is experiencing dementia, it must be very difficult for both of you. If you're really worried about how the side effects will affect your mother, you should confront the prescribing doctor and if you don't get a satisfactory answer from him, get a second opinion. I've heard that any anti-psychotic given to a patient at your mother's age is not very safe so make sure you check with the doctor as to the dosage and the safety of the medication to see if it is necessary or not. A lot of times psychiatrists will give geriatric patients a very low dose which can be quite safe and very helpful for those experiencing dementia. I take 8 mg of risperdal at bedtime, which for me is quite a lot. For your mother it would be way too much- a 1mg dose may be enough. You'd really need to talk to your doctor about this.
It's a blessing that your mother has you to watch out for her, God bless you.
cynthia