My husband with dementia has bad itching. His skin is really dry and I'm trying to slather lotion all over it during the day (which means that the furniture is also covered with lotion), but maybe I'm using the wrong kind? It's not shingles he has it on his legs back, chest, sides, and neck; also he's HAD shingles and he says it is nothing like that. Much less severe.
I'm wondering if it could be a med; he takes Seroquil.
I know I need to get him to the doctor but that is an unbelievably complicated thing. Our doc actually sometimes pays house calls. Maybe this is a good time for one.
Does anyone else have a PWD with terribly dry skin and itching?
Instructions were to “apply twice a day for 2 weeks, take a break for 1week before restarting if needed”.
I only needed it for a short time and did not usually do twice a day.
GOOD LUCK
great the doctor came.
regarding water, absolutely do NOT start adding lots of salt in an attempt to make him drink water.
1 of my LOs was very resistant to drinking water.
and as we all know, many people (including us caregivers) don't really like to listen to suggestions by family members. many of us are much more willing to listen to non-family. your husband resists your good advice: that's very common.
anyway, regarding water:
what i did was drink water TOGETHER with my LO. this way i'm not being hypocritical. i'm also drinking water.
we toasted with our glasses of water, "cheers!"
and drank at the same time.
(sometimes we even toasted together on video calls, several times a day, when i was away).
other technique:
"after you finish this glass of water, you can have your favorite snack, food, coffee, etc.."
many people find water boring.
😉 my LO says, "water is for watering the plants."
many (especially elderly) people prefer sweet food and sweet drinks. taste buds deteriorate. sweet things are stronger, more tasty.
hug!! you'll find a way.
1 reason drinking water is so important, is because since your husband takes various medicines, water washes out (as much as possible) side-effects...and it can also help to try to wash out some infections...and it can also help prevent certain infections (for example some UTIs)...
i'm not saying that water is the only thing to do. i'm saying water helps.
hug!!
❤️🙂
The doc didn't think it was Seroquel -- he's been on that for 4 months and only had the itching start a few weeks ago. However, he looked and said "Boy, is his skin dry!" We have Cera Vee and Acquaphor and he recommended that I or one of our helpers slather on a lot the second we see him scratching.
He also echoed one of you good friends by saying he MUST drink lots of water. LOTS. He is very resistant to this idea. He thinks one little sip from a very small glass is a lot of water. His dementia is moving in such a way that he is starting to interpret any suggestion from me as unbearable nagging, so I'm not sure how to get him to do this. I suppose I could do what the vet recommended for my cat once and put a lot of salt in his food...? But that might raise his blood pressure or harm his heart.
PS. I too have found Irish Spring to be kind of noxious. We certainly don't use it.
I wish you all the best.
Did this start with the introduction of any new medication or vitamin or food or laundry soap product. THINK carefully about what new has been introduced in your home including even whether or not you are in a heavy fine pollen area. Put all blankets and sheets and pillows into the dryer to kill any dust mite overpopulation; keep house as dust free as you can.
Next, what does this look like exactly? Are there any fine rash areas? Was hubby on any antibiotics recently that could cause fungal overgrowth. Where is this itching LOCATED? Lower extremities or any extremities or folds or trunk of moist areas or dry areas? Is hubby sunning himself more of late?
Any recent dietary changes?
Then speak to the doctor with a good online connection in which your hubby's skin can be clearly seen by the doc.
I wish you good luck and hope you'll update us. When I was a nurse the one dermatologist around most told us that his practice was pretty much ALL a guessing game after gathering evidence.
as others said: he should see a doctor.
also keep in mind, it can indeed be seroquil, or other medicines. many medicines have itching (and dry skin) as a side-effect.
my friend's mother had an itching problem, too. that stopped when a particular medicine was stopped. another friend's mother also had itching: turns out it was simply mosquitoes entering the house. conclusion: there can be so many causes.
yes, now is the time for that doctor house call.
i don't believe the cause is just your husband's dry skin. then itching would have gone away with all that lotion. i think it's very likely a side-effect of whatever medicine; or an infection.
also (and that goes for all us caregivers, too), make sure your husband drinks lots of water. ❤️🙂 i'll drink a glass right now.
He could be allergic to the Seroquel. Sometimes the binders they use in production of the med change and cause reactions that were not previously experienced.
Photos are great for comparing if things are changing, getting worse or better too.
The information sheet with the prescription should include side effects - but the one I found online says to not stop taking the medication without speaking to the doctor first - BUT that you need to contact your doctor if you think you have had an allergic reaction.
Is he having any other symptoms? Shortness of breath? Wheezing? Swelling?
Does your doctor have a triage line that you can call 24/7 and ask questions?
How long has he been on the medication?
I mean it could always be other things - have you changed detergents recently? Is he wearing new clothes? I recently had a terrible allergic reaction to a new shampoo.
But if I were you I would be safe and contact the doctor right away and check into it. And if he is having any of those other scary side effects you might consider emergency care.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/19288-quetiapine-tablets
https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/consumers/cmi/s/Seroquel.pdf
Also - he says its different from Shingles - but is it possible its just a mild case? I'm assuming he has had the Shingles vaccine? I was only able to have the first one - because - laughingly I was actually allergic to the Shingles vaccine itself!
Apparently - also Dr Google -there may be some risk of medication induced psoriasis from that class of drugs. I don't know how prevalent or if it is even applicable. That's one that only your doctor could answer. But maybe worth looking into.