My mother has been living with us for the past 4 months, as her Alzheimer's Disease and dementia has gotten worse, and it is not safe for her to live alone any longer. She is on Namenda and Exelon Patch. She has a continuing anxiety problem and we have tried various small doses of medication, Trazodone, Klonopin, and now her new geriatric psychiatrist wants to replace those with Mirtazapine.
Nothing seems to have any impact on her anxiety issues, and she talks almost non-stop. Has anyone else run into this when caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's Disease?
I am grateful for what we do have, her life, our moments of joy, and we make the best of things. I wish she didn't get so anxious over any little thing, and I try to calm and reassure her.
First of all, you have described quite a drug cocktail for your mother. Be aware that some doctors, in an attempt to help, give them such a combination of medications that hyperactivity is one of the results.
Next, there's nothing to say that a mental condition does an overlay dementia. My STRONG sense is that your mom is in a manic phase of bipolar. That could be an existing or new psychological problem and/or it could also be related to over medication.
As a professional nutritionist, I can tell you how little doctors know about what foods and supplements can do to help. Having taken care of too many dementia patients, I can also tell you that I know how difficult it is to get them to take certain things for to get a doctors cooperation in trying those things.
I'd like to refer you to a member here named Carlos who has posted at #19 & #21 on this thread. You will notice that he recommends everything in consultation with the doctors. But he has done extensive research because of his aunt with dementia. And he is far too modest. He is a dentist in Brazil and is quite the nutritional scientist in my opinion. It certainly won't hurt to take a look at his of rings.
In spite of the many nutritional approaches I have taken, in every case there has ultimately been medicating required. The key is: which medication? Some combinations are just outright overkill - like the old expression of killing a fly with a cannon.
Finding the right medication is trial and error. Every patient's brain is different from every other's AND a particular patient's brain is dynamic and will change intermittently from our to date a week to month. So even if you find the right medication today, it may not be the best medication in a month, and you need to be prepared for that. What will get you most stuck is the thought that you "don't know why xxx Rx isn't working anymore". You must be open and willing to change up the medication as needed. The best thing to do is keep in current contact with the doctor by email. That way, you're on going concern should get into your loved one's file. You have to be the advocate for your loved one not to wait till the next appointment to make a switch.
Taking care of a dementia patient can turn you into a bipolar (haha). One moment you have joy because you're able to care for them and the next moment you have anguish seeing how they've become.
Thank you for your reply and for your very interesting questins. I will try to reply each of yours questions.
Q: You wrote : “I am open to any supplements, but want to make sure that they are safe. Her doctor like most mainstream doctors don't know enough about supplements to give an okay to use them...”
R: Please , do NOT gives NONE supplement without the authorization or permission and supervisiono f the physician of your mother . The physician of the patient is the only person with enough medical knowledge to authorize it , and if he do not gives permission, do NOT gives the supplements ...
Q : Is there any side effects with these supplements?
R: There are some mild side effects but can be minimized in the very low doses as I pasted . It is easy fo her physician or for any person , to find information about the supplements.
Then , any doctor , if they have a real interest , they can in a very easy way to read about the supplements and it mild side effects ,and to authorize or not authorize the use , and they can titrate the doses specificallly to each patient. The supplement glucosamine sulfate (extracted but extremely purified from the shell of crustaceans) can NOT be used by persons with a NON controlled diabetes or that have allergy of crustaceans.
Q : You wrote that your “ mom has a low heart rate... “ and that “ ... she takes a low does blood pressure med and a drug to keep from having palpatations...” and that “ ... she also takes zyprexa...’
R : A patient that have severe cardiovascular disorders as your mother has, and that takes Zyprexa , that is an antipsychotic drug that can gives severe cardiovascular side effects too , you will never knows if she have any cardiovascular complications , if it was caused by her heart and blood pressure disease, or by the Zyprexa or by any supplement. Then once more , ONLY her physician can gives authorization and can titrate the doses of the supplements.
Q: “ My mom is one who can not take even small amounts of coconut oil orally, because of the diarrhea...”
R: My aunt has diarrhea too, and we do NOT gives the coconut oil by mouth , but the caregiver uses to do massages with a tea spoon of extra virgin coconut oil , that scientific articles in Pubmed shows, that extra virgin coconut oil it is absorbable by the skin.But we use the extra virgin coconut oil in massages , ONLY under her physician permission, I suggest you to do the same: to use any supplement or medicine drug under her physician permission.
But as I read that you like aromatherapy too , I will tell you more one anedoctal report.
The mother of a friend of mine have advanced dementia , and the caregiver it is using a shampoo for babies that claims that is a “shampooing bedtime” shampoo.The interesting is that the famous pharmaceuticcal company that makes products for babies, it is using the lavender in it “bedtime” shampoo , that works as aromatherapy giving calmness after shampooing the hair with that specific so called “bedtime” shampoo. As shampoos for babies are safe , maybe is worth to try to use that specific “bedtime” shampoo for babies (made by that famous pharma company) to wash (shampooing) the hair of dementia patients too.
But if you read the others comments that I made before about these supplements , I always write that :
a)ONLY the physician of the patient knows the right doses , the right intervals between the doses ,and can gives or NOT permission to gives it to the patient.
b)For the the responsability administration of the supplements to any patient and for the ingestion of any supplement is in the hands of who does it. Please , do NOT gives NONE supplement withou the permission of the physician of the patient.
Thank you very much for your interest and questions.
Talk t the physician of your mother and asks him to read about the supplements. It is easy for him. It is a question of will.But any way , follow only the doctor advices.
Best regards
Carlos
I suggest you that you check and register three times a day , the blood pressure and heart rate of your mother, during tem days , before to gives any supplement , to have a parameter before she takes the supplement.
It is interesting that you send to the doctor the blood pressure numbers and heart rate registered during that tem days before to starts the supplements.
But , for example , some supplements , as they are antioxidants they can Interact with aspirin (A.S.A.) , giving a synergistic effect. Then patients that use aspirin (acetylsalicylic acyd) , the doctor have to titrate to a smaller dose of ASA.
We started with one supplement each 15 days , starting with the Glucuronolactone in the small doses 2 times a day.and then we add, the others supplements each 15 days (acetyl L carnitine, then carnosine,etc.).
We check the blood pressure and heart rate and register it three times a day.
As these supplements really control anxiety , they can give a lower blood pressure , and we had to make a down titraiting oof the doses of blood pressure drugs . then to check blood pressure and to have a absolute control buy the physician ois very necessary.
In fact , most people that use that supplements have to lowers the doses of blood pressure drugs and of antipsychotic drugs , according the physician advices only. We observed a great enhancing in the quality of life of both: the patient with dementia and the caregiver (it lowers the stress of the caregiver if the patient is easy to cope).
The glucuronolactone gives the best and more significative results to control mood and behavior disorders (as hallucinations, delusions, agitation,enhance mood , cognition ,etc). But the others supplements , mainly acetyl L carnitine have great effects to enance attention, speech and the mood. But alone , acetyl L carnitine do not have notable effects in behavior and mood .
We observed that the best is to gives a low fat diet , because fats can impairs the good effects of glucuronolactone.You can observe it that after a fat meal (cheese, butter,oils,etc) , we see an impairing of the good effects of glucuronolactone until the next dose.
But glucuronolactone works really as a “rescue” supplement from the delusions and hallucinations, and to enhance mood (makes the patient be calm and smiles again) , only 40 minutes after the patient takes the dose of glucuronolactone. It is amazing to see how calm and how easy to cope they be after the 40min to 50 min of a dose of glucuronolactone.(it is really very fast to see the amazing control of the “odd” behaviors).
Carnosine gives some relax to the patient ,but only when used with glucuronolactone. After the carnosine we can see a “relaxed face”.(carnosine is a dipeptide,that was first extracted from the extract of chicken chest) .
We get the small doses asking for the compouding pharmacists (in coumponding pharmacy), top ut the powder in capsules in that small doses.
" ...We get the small doses asking for the compouding pharmacists (in coumponding pharmacy), to put the powder in capsules in that small doses.
Then caregiver open the capsules , and put the exact small doses in , for example, 50 mililiters of milk or juice, and gives it to my aunt.
They put together in the milk or the juice the respective doses of each supplements.
But all under the physicians permission and supervision.
The caregiver wets her fingertip with that specific " babies bedtime shampoo" and passes the fingertip on the edges of the pillowcase ".
Well is only na anedoctal report of that friend of mine , but she says that the lavender in that baby shampoo, as with babies , it is working to gives a better calmness to her mother with advanced dementia ...
Complementing:
You asked about friends of mine that are giving the food supplements in that small doses to their relatives with dementia (under theirs physicians permission).
I can report you that they are seeing the same amazing results to control behavior and mood disorders and to enhances cognition.
Their doctors , as with my aunt, are using empirically the NPI test to measure more precisely the enhancings in mood and behavior.
As me and that friends of mine use to say : it is like you "get back" again , most of the mind of our relatives with dementia , not in a so stable way, but in a very fast way , and it gives relief and even happiness to the patients,caregivers and relatives.
Thank for your reply.
But I have to insists : as your mothers have that severe heart diseases and as she takes lots of medicine drugs for heart , blood pressure and antipsychotic drugs , I guess that you could talk to her doctor before to gives any food supplement.
Patients with severe cardiovascular diseases are very frail by it heart diseases and if the patient have some complication caused by it own heart disease (and not by the supplement) or by the use of antipsychotic , it is common to think that the supplements are the culprit, while the actual culprits use to be the severe heart comorbidities by itself , or the strong drugs as antipsychotics that the patient takes. Then is a decision that the physician have to takes.
I guess so that you or the physician of your mother, maybe could use the NPI test before to use the supplements and each 20 to 30 days after starts to gives the food supplements (under the physician permission) , once it is a very easy test , easy to understand and easy to apply to the caregiver (not to the patient) , and with the NPI test (Neuropsychiatric inventorty test for mood and behaviors disorders of dementia patients) the doctor and the caregiver can pay attention to small enhancings and to different levels of enhancings in mood and behavior, and you will be more sure about the enhancings.
About the supplements , I do not knows where you can find a compounding pharmacy where you leave , but maybe , searching in the Google you can find a compounding pharmacy in your city or state(?).
About tto open a capsule of 500 miligrams and to split into 4 equal parts I guess that it is a good idea , once as glucuronolactone is a food supplement , you do NOT needs to get the exact dose of 125 miligrams to each of the four parts of the capsule of 500 miligrams.
I guess that it will works (three to four times a day one part of the capsule – only under the physician permission) .
As I wrote before , it is interesting to lowers the ingestion of fats , oils once you will see better effects with glucuronolactone.
The first thing that we can see it is a more calm patient, that pays more attention to what the caregiver says, easier to cope , more relaxed,etc. And you will observe others small enhancings in mood and behavior since the first day of use of the supplement.
Please , take a look in the site searching in google with the words : NPI test Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) Setting the Standard for Alzheimer Research
Snce 2011 I use to purchase the pure glucuronolactone just in USA.
You can purchase the pure glucuronolactone , the carnosine and the acetyl L carnitine in the same site in USA.
But I purchase only the pure glucuronolactone in the site below.
About the carnosine and the acetyl L carnitine , I asks to a compounding pharmacy in my city to puts the carnosine in the capsules with the exact doses (80 miligrams by capsule to takes each 12 to each 8 hours) and to put the acetyl L carnitine in the right doses in the capsules too ( 100 miligrams three times a day, starting with 50mg titrating to 100mg) , and the caregiver open the capsules in some juice and gives to my aunt.
But anyone can buy the pure carnosine and the pure acetyl L carnitine and the spoons, and put the powders in juice and gives to the patient .
The site that I purchase the glucuronolactone and that you can purchase too the acetyl L carnitine is the site called Pure Bulk , and I observed giving the glucuronolactone to my aunt , that their glucuronolactone is really concentrated and pure , as the glucuronolactone that have a high efficacy to my aunt.I use to buy in that site since 2011.But there ard a lot of sites in USA , that you can purchase thd pure glucuronolactone, etc. Searching in google you can find others good sites.
For glucuronolactone I purchase in:
purebulk/glucuronolactone-powder.html#.UtffDxVTtR4
Searching in that siite Pure Bulk and in others sites of supplements , you can find the pure and concentrated carnosine and the pure and concentrated acetyl L carnitine.
As I told you before, I use the carnosine and acetyl L carnitine of the compounding pharmacy of my city and not from Pure Bulk.
I purchased special spoons , that are made for the supplements, and are very small , and we use to measure powders of that supplements..
I purchased it in the site of Pure Bulk . They have the very small special spoons.
For the glucuronolactone the better is one measure of the SMIDGEN spoon 3 to 4 times a day , and an additional measure in case of agitation, etc.
For carnosine we can use ONE measure of the DROP spoon three times a day.
For the acetyl L carnitine we can use TWO measures of the DROP spoon.
For the spoons :
purebulk/5pc-spice-measuring-set.html#.UtfgShVTvWc
Must be easier to get the pure product as a single ingredient in Brazil. Not so simple here yet.
That may change with the literature suggesting cognitive improvement, and if supplied catches up with demand.
Best re
Thank you for your kind praise of my abilities.
Carol
This week you made me some questions.
I will try to reply in the best way.
Q: Have you heard of anyone that was not helped?
R: For persons that are in the lasts , very last part of the stage seven of dementia, as a patient that is feeding by tubes a long time , do not moves any muscle anymore ,etc , I guess that the supplement will not helps.
But for patients in the last stage of dementia , but that was in feeding tube for a short period of time for recovery of some disease , the supplements still can works , as I saw sometimes , the suplements (under permission and supervisiono f the physician of the patient) helps to the patient in a short period of a feeding tube , to recovery the strengh and the ability to swallow again , and including the ability to talk some words or sentences again, and to keeps very calm, without delusions and agitation,etc.
.I saw that if the patient is in the MCI or even in the mild stages (as the first and second stages ) of AD and others dementias, if the patient takes all the supplements in the doses that I pasted before (under his physician permission and supervison) , the patient can have a so great enhancing , that he will looks almost as a “normal” person , and the better, the dementia looks to stops (in a empirical observation) in that stage for a lot of years, that means , if the patient have an MCI , the supplements can control the MCI symptons , and maybe , the patient can be protected against AD for a lot of years, obviously depending of the comorbidities that the patient have ,as diabetes , severe heart diseases, strokes, etc , that can hastens dementia, but even in that cases , the dementia looks to slows down (please , all it are based in empirical observation only).
Most people that are using the supplements in a empirical way (under the physician permission) are relatives of friends of mine that are physicians. As that friends of mine are physicians, it is easy for them to gives the supplements to their relatives with dementia , and is easy for them to use the NPI test with the caregivers, and others clinical tests to evaluate the improves of cognition , mood and behavior of their relatives with dementia.
And they started to gives the supplements after my anedoctal report to them about the enhancings with my aunt. They did not knows about the supplements effects to dementia patients. Some of that physicians ,
I gave the glucuronolactone, carnosine , acetyl L carnitine to they starts to test in their relatives with dementia (now they import tôo the glucuronolactone from USA). All that friends of mine that are physicians , that are giving the supplements to their relatives with different types of dementias (AD,frontotemporal dementia, vascular dementia as brain multinfarct, stroke sequelae dementia,etc), all are amazed with the enhancings.
But for patients with the 3,4,5, 6 and 7 stages of dementia , we and every person that knows the patient , can see an AMAZING enhancing in the quality of life, with a better comunication, a better attention to the caregiver and relatives, without or almost without delusions and hallucinations , without depression , without cryings alll the time, without yells, without agressiviness and agitation, without sundowning, without insomnia, sleeping all the night calmly, easy to cope during the day , taking baths without meaning (asking for baths!), talking better, with a better speech, with a great strehgh.
I saw a patient that could not change anymore her position in the bed , and was very difficult to seat her in the bed, and she did not have no interaction with the caregivers or relatives , and after two months using the supplements (only under the physician permission and supervision), she changes her positiion in the bed, she sits sometimes without no help, she grasps the cups and glasses again and drink fluids alone without help, she remember her relatives again , she pays a extreme attention to the persons and what happens in the room (and calmly , smiling – she used to cry and to yells most the time that she was awake- now she talks friendly to all and she is happy!).
But each case is one case, then different persons have different types of dementias, different types of comorbidities,etc , and will have different levels of enhancings . But all. absolutely all have some or a lot of significative improves. PLEASE ,DO NOT GIVES NONE SUPPLEMENT OR MEDICINE DRUG WITHOUT THE PERMISSION AND SUPERVISION OF THE PHYSICIAN OF THE PATIENT. All this text is only an anedoctal report , without scientific foundation, based only in empirical observation.
Q: How long before you see some improvements?
R: With the GLUCURONOLACTONE (that is the number one supplement-without it nothing works!) , the effects starts between 30 minutes to 60 minutes after the patient takes the supplement (in fact in a carefuyl observation we see enhancings after 20 minutes).
We use tyhe GLUCURONOLACTONE to rescue from some delusion, agitation, hallucination,etc , and in 40 minutes the patient looks to be very calm and easy to cope.
The main is the glucuronolactone. It is like a movie: You can do a movie with only the leading or main actress . Maybe will be boring and will not sell so much , but you can do the movie. But you can not do a movie only with support actor talking alone , without the main actor to interact with him. The movie would be a non sense movie and would not works, and no one would like to see it.
The same is with the glucuronolactone: it is the main and principal and what works in dementia.But the “support actors” ACETYL L CARNITINE , and in a minor amount the carnosine are very necessary and makes things more stable and have na amazing and fantastic synergistic effect with glucuronolactone: Acetyl L carnitine stabilizing the effects of glucuronolactone, and giving great enhancings in attention, speech ,strengh,comunication, interest,etc.Carnosine helps the calminess .
Q: My issues are to see improvement from hallucinations and delusions.
R: For sure you will see enhancings in the control of behavior disorders as delusions and hallucinations. But we have to takes some measures about the foods: Less fat it is like more enhancing with glucuronolactone . I will gives more details in another post.
Q: How long has your Aunt been on the supplements and do you have to increase the supplement doseage as time goes on?
R:She is in the supplements since january 2009 , but in the pure glucuronolactone powder since january 2011.
She is with the “support actors” acetyl L carnitine and carnosine since 2013, once I did not knew until 2013 , that it support actors could gaves a big boost in the enhancings of cognition , mood and behavior. If I knew that since 2009 , she was taking it since that time , and I’m sure , she would be much , but a lot much better than know , but...I say to the friends of mine that are medicine doctors : starts SOON all the supplements , titrating slowly , and doing as you will do: titrate first the GLUCURONOLACTONE by 15 days , then the ACETYL L carnitine (please: it is acetyl L carnitine , and it is NOT L carnitine- L carnitine will NOT works) , and after more 15 days starts the carnosine.But the last dose of Acetyl L Carnitine it is up to 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Please do NOT gives NONE supplement without the permissio n and supervisiono f the PHYSICIAN of the patient.
Q: I will start slow with the gluconolactone first.
R: Yes , do it , under the physician permission and supervision only , AND TWICE A DAY (FOR EXAMPLE AT 9:00 am and at 4:00 pm.I hope that it works You can send me any time any question by this site or by email.
I really do not knows if you are receiving my replies to you , answering the questions that you made to me.
Can you tell me if you read a reply that I put for three times in the “HUGS” ?
Can you tell me if you read the message that I put in the HUGS in 1/18/2014 , answering a loto f questions for you? I made long and detalied explanations about the doubts that you asked me before.
And the message that I put in your “HUGS” in the 1/19/2014 , did you received that? It is too a long and complementary text that I gives detailed explanations too.
Can you tell me if you received in the “HUG” that two long and detalied explanations of a “HUG” of 1/18/2014 and a “HUG” of 1/19/2014? In that two long texts there are some very importante detalis about the supplements.
I guess that you can keeps trying THE GLUCURONOLACTONE FOR A COUPLE MONTHS and the others supplements , until you reach the better doses and the better moments of the day to gives it.
1) Your First Question :” I gave the first dose the smidgen spoon in a tablespoon of applesauce.
Reply : The best , as recommended in the site of Pure Bulk , it is to gives the glucuronolactone at morning with an empty stomach, putting the glucuronolactone in aprox.. 80 mililiters of water , if possible with a tea spoon of sugar(if the patient it is not diabetic), or with the glucuronolactone dissolved in a weak solution of water with some natural apple juice made by you from fresh apples in a juicer.
Please , all with permission of the physician of your mother, gives glucuronolactone 20 minutes to 30 minutes before the meals .
As possible , keeps a low fat diet, and for while , do NOT gives the coconut oil and do NOT make massages with the coconut oil in the nexts 15 days ,to you observe better the effects of glucuronolactone.
As I explained in another text , oils, fats, food preservatives and flavorings can IMPAIRS the effects of glucuronolactone to control dementia symptons.
Then if you gives the glucuronolactone with applesauce maybe it will not works.
If you read in the in the site Pure Bulk about glucuronolactone , you will see that the better it is to give the glucuronolactone with a empty stomach (half hour before some meal or two hours atfer some meal).
2) Your Second Question: I didn't notice anything really. Your suggestion to give at 9 and 4. Do you still think that this would be good?
If you gives the glucuronolactone 20 to 30 minutes in water with a weak home maid juice it will Works. It is nota n absolutely stable Works , but I had to keeps trying to see the results.
3) Your Third Question Have you noticed if you give to late in the day that it effects the sleep?
Reply : What I observed is that the better , to starts is to gives the first dose at morning , before the breakfast (with a breakfast without cheese, without butter,without oils, or fats ,without eggs, but only with bread and homemaid jelly.
4) Your Fourth Question : I want to give this a good try to see if I can see some improvement, before I give up on it.
Reply : As I wrote before , I guess that you can keeps trying THE GLUCURONOLACTONE FOR A COUPLE MONTHS and the others supplements , until you reach the better doses and the better moments of the day to gives it.
5) Your Fifth question : How did you get the idea about using glucuronolactone, and can you explain why it works for dementia?
It is a long story that starts in 2009 that I will tell you in another post. Based in what I read about glucuronolactone , we can hypothesize that it works simultaneously as an alternative fuel, an peroxinitrite scavenger, an mitochondrial enhancer, mild heavy metal chelator, an improver of energy input to the neurons,and a lot of good mechanisms that gives neuroprotection. I have lots and lots of articles aboout the mechanisms of glucuronolactone , and I can send to you bye mail if you want.
6) Your Sixth Question : Can using the coconut oil on the skin still cause diarrhea?
No , coconut oil in massages do not cause diarrhea , but can impairs the effects of glucuronolactone. Please , wait for more 15 days , before to starts the massages with HALF tea spoon of coconut oil twice a day.
7) Our Seventh Question : mom is having trouble using words to make sense, have you noticed any improvement in this area?
Yes, I observed a great enhancing after TWO MONTHS using the combination of Glucuronolactone – improves, cognition , mood , attention, and control delusions and hallucinations.
Acetyl L carnitine - improves cognition, mood , speech , attention and strengh.
Carnosine – improves calmness and relax the patient.
IF POSSIBLE, MAKE A VIDEO DOCUMENTING ALL HER “ODD’ BEHAVIORS IN THE DAY AND IN THE MINUTES BEFORE TO GIVES THE GLUCURONOLACTONE AND ANOTHER VIDEO AFTER TO STARTS TO GIVES THE SUPPLEMENTS -IT IS THE ONLY WAY TO PEOPLE REALLY BELIEVE IN YOU IN THE FUTURE , after her behaviors disorders be under control.
Thank you very much for your reply.
In summary I wrote :
I will send to you again my email AS A HUG in your wall, to talk about more details , that you can send to the PHYSICIAN of your mother , to he makes an deep analysis , and to the PHYSICIAN of your mother will gives or NOT , permission and supervision to use that supplements.
1)I asked if you talked to the physician of your mother, to asks his supervision and permission, before to gives any supplement , or drugs or foods to your mother.
Please , do NOT gives NONE food, NONE food suplement or NONE kind of supplement,, or NONE medicine drug without the permission and supervision of PHYSICIAN of the patient.
2)We made some adaptations to the breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner of my aunt, under her physician and her nutritionist, supervision , prescription and permission, to gives a low fat diet , but with complex carbs (beans, rice,pasta, red potatoes,etc) and low fat meat, chicken without skin, and fish ,all cooked in water and small and controlled amounts of salt, cooked without oils , without skins and without fats, to get the better results with glucuronolactone.
I guess so that I’m taking so much space here , and I guess that the best it is to change e-mails, where I can expklain with more detalis , and you can talk to the physician of your mother about to get his permission and supervision in the use of the supplements.
I guess that maybe , most of the information that I sent to you by your wall did not went to you .
I guess that glucuronolactone only works with a low fat diet, without flavorings and without conservatives of foods. For example , if the applesauce has some conservative , it impairs the glucuronolactone effect.
Yes , the best is starts with the first dose of the day on an empty stomach.( about a half hour before breakfast. )
Unfortunatelly that peanut butter (that is pure fat) and the cinamon impairs the effects of glucuronolactone.
The foods that we are giving tom y aunt , that worked for her to get a better body mass, strengh and a normal weight , I described in the comments of the article in this site AGING CARE , of Dr. Amy Ehrlich, MD, with the title : THINK TWICE ABOUT GIVING ELDERS NUTRITIONAL DRINKS OR SHAKES”. The article was published in Agingcare,com in may,2010. I put my comment in January 17,2014.
I put a comment there , with the foods that my aunt is eating in the comments of the article of agingcare of Dr. Amy ehrlich MD publishes in January 17,2010 with the title : “THINK TWICE ABOUT GIVING ELDERS NUTRITIONAL DRINKS OR SHAKES” .
I put my comment in January 17,2014.
That foods that I pasted there, and that my aunt eats , made without oils or fats , do not impairs the glucuronolactone effects and she gained body mass, weight and strengh.
It was made by the physician and by her nutritionist for her , and it is working for her.
But it do NOT means that patients that eat the same foods, it will works too.
It is all under her physician and a nutritionist orientation, supervision and permission.
Please , do NOT gives NONE foods, or NONE supplements or NONE medicine drugs without the permission and supervision of the PHYSICIAN of the patient.This is only an anedoctal report , without None scientific foundation, The responsability for the use of the supplements, medicine drugs , foods ,etc ., it is exclusively in the hands of who takevthat foods, supplements and drugs. Follow only the what the physician of the patients , prescribes and only the physician’s advices. Do only what your doctor or what the doctor of the patient ask to you to do.
I read the detailed natural solutions that Carlos posted and I'm thinking of giving it a try. My Mom takes a small dose of Lexapro at 4PM. (it seems to help her sundowning anxiety behavior which was happening around that time.) I have Mirtzapine which I'd asked her Dr. about, and he prescribed, but I haven't given it to her yet. The plan was to give at bedtime. My reservations about giving it to her are worries about her being groggy with it, getting up to go to the bathroom and falling, or sleeping and NOT getting up to go to the bathroom, then having a bed wetting incident. However....I'm desperate, and may have to give it a try tonight. As well as looking into those Carlos solutions...Glu....whatever it is. Sounded very helpful!! If it works the way Carlos described it.....WOW! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. But it'll take time to order it, get it, and then another 15 days or so to see results. Whew. I may not last till then with sleep deprivation issues. On top of trying to deal with all this other dementia stuff, the sleep deprivation only exacerbates everything. HELP. Good luck Jeffery, Kala, and all of you who have been on this thread.
I notice "Soundscapes and light classical work better", odd cause he was a country singer his whole life & never listened to anything but Country???
I hear a big difference in his "mumbling/chattering/talking out loud" when he is listening....music seems to calm him.
I was told his "chatter/mumbling/talking out loud " is a form of "Terrets" , which is not just about cursing. He don't know he's doing it....."I myself go into shakes when he has a bad day with it " ! Feel like ripping my hair out it gets so bad.....
When his oxygen is "low", it TEN TIMES WORSE! Which he sleeps with Oyxgen, but he tends to pull if off...thus leaving him by morning with more confusion and a "very long day" of chaos because he's more confused/agatated and the. "Terrets or talking out loud" is actually "severe".
If they need Oyxgen you don't give them a choice on wearing it, the brain cells need Oyxgen to survive!
As brain cells die, there is "no way" they are coming back and their demenshia /alzheimers / talking out loud is "amplified", really bad here !
So with me, as I "run my roost , under my roof & my rules " & make it clear if your not wearing the Oyxgen at bedtime , I can gladly move you elsewhere and you will have three shifts of aides /nurses strapping it all day to you".
he then will wear it!
"No it's not mean, he does know he needs to be wearing it & I sve explained he is loosing brain cells by not wearing it! "I don't lie about his health when explaining to him, as we should not"!
Our job also is to watch independancies including things that may seem so little as putting on & keeping on his Oyxgen at bed time! We do peek in at night to see if on too!
Aspecially when I have to drive him somewhere , and may sound weird or you may think mean (but his hearing ain't that great anyway ), I have to crank up my car stereo just to drown out the Terrets or "chitter- chattering"!
And using good old rock & roll ! But I'm driving and need to relax and it stops him some ?
Ok, the patch he refused , so never got to try. I have heard of odd side effects though '. I demanded something to give him, doctor gave "Ativan" (we hide all narcotics /etc from him). Well, we "dispense his meds now , after too many times of double dosing or forgetting doses, pills on the floor .
Well, Ativan was at lunch , and I kept finding little white pills on my floors. Not far from where he sits for lunch ?
We have "fur kids", I cannot worry about them accidentally ingesting them. So I questioned him "why" his pills where on the floor and then made him take them.
"Then"....I really wanted to see "how pills were getting on the floor". After setting him at the table for lunch in my breakfast room, I as well set his noon time meds near him too.
Then sat on my kitchen floor (where he couldnt see me) and sat with my cell phone ( to video tape) and watched him eat and take his meds. "He was pulling the Ativan out intentially and tossing it on the floor"! Which I taped on my phone!
Soon as I seen it, I stood up, and confronted , then made him watch the video, called his doctor, took the video there for him to see as well!
As his caregiver and "Full POA", we (hubby and I ) were told to hide in his food as we see needed! "Havent done it yet, but came pretty darn close "!
Told my father in law his irresponsibility was now unacceptable to possibly hurt my fur kids (they were here before him....and our kids, so he goes over them)!
Told him think he needs to live in a home if that's how he will be, I have "no time" for an adult with independence (even a small amount) in his grips. I know he got scared , because ”I do not joke, say it up front, and make it clear"!
"If you have independencies you sure as heck better use them"!
When you loose "all" independencies, it's time for ful time care, no question .
One human cannot be "three shifts" of nurses, aides, cooks, med nurses, personal care needs, etc! And we get paid "Nothing" to do alot of this.
Try calming music (softly) seems to calm down the "Terrets/mumbling/talking out loud"....and see if it works ? Soft classical or Soundscapes works good here , for now .
And will hide the ativan in his food when we see fit (do not leave them alone on this drug, in fact in bed or a recliner woud be best, they can get very relaxed) Again, I have not heard anything positve on the patches.
Jelly Lou
I'm sure many can sympathize and emphasize with your situation.
Please allow me to call to your attention that you have posted within a thread where the title of the topic isn't actually the problem you have, which was originally started in January -- nearly 12 months ago, where the most recent response is already 3 months old, and where there are already over 50 answers.
While it is possible that some members may find this and answer you, it is so deeply embedded into someone else's situation, the majority of members who could help you are probably not going to run across your question and any answers are not likely to be found later by somebody else looking for help on your same issue.
Just a suggestion, mind you, but I feel it would be better if you would post your question as a new topic.
For my part, to address your question, my mom and I were able to keep my mild-mannered dad at home until he became violent. Up until that point, he not only required a lot of attention, didn't care for us doing anything that took us away from him (hence, he would get up and follow), plus he required a lot of supervision to prevent him from doing anything harmful to himself or destructive to home or property. As his caretakers, my mom and I could use diversionary tactics since there were two of us. The bottom line is that you will probably need some level of assistance to keep him home. It's very difficult to do it completely by yourself. And it will become more difficult as time goes by.
I know it isn't a merry or happy time for you, so I will just wish you peaceful holidays.
Carol