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Gnarley Asked March 2020

Sundowning; how do you deal with it?

How do you deal with it? My dad has at times become very confrontational, agitated, delusional, etc late at night and sees or says things that aren't real. A few times a month he fights going to bed or wakes up a few hours after going to bed and believes it's daylight or 12 hours ahead. My mom has called me when she doesn't know what to do and I've gone over and helped get him back in bed.


A few times I've spoken to him on the phone and he talks like a possessed person, it's weird! The next day he has no recollection of what happened!


He's taking quetiapine (Seroquel) was at 50 mg and bumped to 75 mg. His Dr. also just offered Mirtazapine (Remeron) to help.


Has anyone else encountered this and what have you done to minimize or stop the night time behaviors? We need him to sleep!


Thanks!

freqflyer Apr 2020
Gnarley, have your Dad checked for a Urinary Tract Infection. Such an infection in an older person can mimic dementia type issues. An UTI can be treated with antibiotics.

Momma13 Apr 2020
My mother went through this too. Everything went haywire at sundown and I was over there all hours of the night when she called. Seroquel worked for her though after trying some other meds. She takes it at dinnertime and it does the trick. Also, make sure that he is drinking plenty of water because dehydration can also make things worse. And don't let them over-medicate him. At one time, mother was taking four different antidepressant type meds and she was like a zombie. Once we settled on the Seroquel it's been a godsend. Just keep working with his doctor until you get the right meds. I really believe that it the key. Good luck!
Gnarley Apr 2020
Thanks! What dosage of Seroquel? Right now we are just at really low doses says the pharmacist. He noted that some patients are taking 400 mg twice a day!

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