What kinds of results have people had with antidepressant medications and elders?

They put my 92 yr old mom on effexor, made her mean and nasty. She now takes trazadone at night, really just to help sleep, and it works fine for her. Each person can have different reactions.

My almost 96 y/o mom is on lexapro & remeron and not doing well. She doesn't sleep which is a major problem. She was eval'd after rehab at NH as ok for AL, but after only 2 weeks they are ready to kick her out because of her behavior problems. Dementia is HORRID!! This was an energetic, highly intelligent, independent woman a few short months ago. I am at my wit's end.

And make sure the depressed person is eating well, because some medical professional and researcher (and I believe this) feel diet can play a role in depression.

I agree wit Kimbee re getting a dr or np experienced with geriatric depressive disorders b/c some of the medications are not tested for seniors specificially and high dosages for younger people might not be best for seniors. It took time to find the correct one and low dose for my family member. But they have kept her on it for a long time and I often wonder if it is still necessary but fear the consequences of stopping it. But the right one and right dose helped definitely. . But during the process of finding it, some put strange thoughts in her mind, some made her too sleepy or agitated. Also make sure they are actually taking them. Many elderly people think medications for depression mean they are crazy. They should explain that that it is a medical illness. Also make sure you rule out any medical causes first, like urinary infections. Also, my family member b/c depressed after starting on an atril fib medication and I later learned that beta blockers can cause depression. Also watch out for side effects and some that are hard to withdraw from.There is a lot of info on these topics on the internet. Also you can always discuss with the dr your concerns and ask questions since they are actually seeing the patient and everyone is different.

I have seen many seniors respond well to antidepressant therapy. Select a dr or NP who has experience with geriatric depressive disorders. Anyone suffering from clinical depression deserves effective treatment! My mom is taking Celexa ( generic, few bucks for 90d supply at target) w great results. We did switch from am to pm dosing.

Lorazepam makes my mom giddy and giggley but it's really hard for her to walk. She has fallen being on it. She hasn't taken any antidepressants but with her progressive dementia I don't know if it would do any good?