seroquel & depacote (both three times a day) atavan (as needed for agitation/aggression) and haldol injection (as needed) Please excuse if I have misspelled some of the meds
Mary
Wondering about the side effects of the following meds given to a patient with dementia:?
- Posted:
- 3+ months ago by Mary on dad
- Topics:
- haldol, seroquel, dementia, agitation, side effect
Details:
Answers (2)
Mary, that's quite a list. I'll try and keep these brief as each has many POSSIBLE side-effects. The seroquel; which is an antipsychotic that helps with the dementia and agitation; can cause fatigue and difficulty breathing. The depakote; which helps with manic episodes/bipolar symptoms; can cause drowsiness, weakness, and behavioral changes. The ativan; which is a sedative that helps with anxiety; can cause weakness and confusion. The haldol IM; which is an antipsychotic that helps with aggression and deliriousness; can cause headaches and drowsiness. I did not list all of the possible side-effects because there are MANY for each one and frankly, they might scare you into NOT wanting to give them. However, they all work well as we use them at my job daily. The one thing I want to caution you about strongly is the haldol injection-you want to make sure your father stays laying down for at least 30 minutes after giving it to him as it can cause temporary weakness or numbness in the large muscle you give it in and you certainly don't want him falling. I hope this helps. Good luck and God bless you.
Mary, The seroquel in my opinion is a horrible medication. They have recently put my dad on it and taken away his Ativan. The drug interactions with the Seroquel are scary. If you have noticed increased agitation then I would insist that he be taken off of the seroquel. They also seem to have him on too many sedation meds. Good Luck to you. Alzheimers is a very cruel disease.
