Notes

Medication to Calm Dementia Patients
Medication to Calm Dementia Patients
The most common medication for agitation and difficult behaviors associated with dementia is antidepressants and anxiolytics, often referred to as sedatives. These drugs can elevate mood and calm a person, but they don't solve the root causes of behavioral problems and are only helpful for a short period of time. They also can cause sedation and cloud thinking, which increases the risk of falls and accidents.

If a person is frequently agitated, irritable, and anxious, medications such as valproic acid (Depakote) and carbamazepine (Tegretol) can help by reducing the excitability of brain cells. They may take two to three weeks or more to start working and are usually taken as a pill at bedtime.

Antipsychotics were developed to treat schizophrenia and other mental illnesses with psychotic symptoms, including hallucinations, delusions, anxiety, and suspiciousness. They can reduce agitation and aggression and decrease the frequency of violent outbursts, but they should be used only when other medications aren't working or if a person poses a real danger to himself or others. Risperidone and haloperidol are the only antipsychotics licensed for use in people with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia and should be prescribed at the lowest dose possible and for the shortest duration (up to six weeks).

Other medications that have been shown to calm behaviors include benzodiazepines, which can work quickly but can increase confusion and cloud thinking. They can also be dangerous if they are used over long periods of time, and two studies have linked their use with a higher risk of dementia. dementia wandering prevention Non-drug interventions that can help a person feel calmer and more settled include soothing music, light touch or a soft back rub, and scents such as lavender and vanilla that stimulate the release of dopamine (the "feel good" chemical).
Website: https://dementiatracker.co.uk/wandering/