My mom suddenly began hallucinating last night and this morning. Can this be attributed to an UTI?

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nleclercd Asked April 2020

My mom suddenly began hallucinating last night and this morning. Can this be attributed to an UTI?

This is not typical for my mom. A nurse, who took my sister's call, said that it may be an UTI. She has had these before, but never accompanied by serious, and long-term hallucinations. She began taking antibiotics this evening, when can we expect these symptoms to go away, if they are in fact attributed to the UTI?

Alzheimer's & Dementia Hallucinations Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

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score 0 · Answer 1

Yes, UTI's often cause hallucinations. It will take several days for the symptoms to clear.

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score 0 · Answer 2

So if mom is wearing diapers,, do check them. If they are wet, change them, get the nurse to immediately, but this does mean to feel it for wetness.. You don't want other issues..
UTI's are usually the issue.. and if you cannot get her to the doctor, then HAVE HIM/HER PRESCRIBE antibiotic until you can get her in.
ABRI-FORM Diapers are very good.. L4, most absorbent is good. Haven't had issues yet with this brand...
Plenty of fluids.. if not enough can cause UTI... It is so hard when they get older.. they can come on fast without warning.. That is the scary part.. WITHOUT WARNING...

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score 1 · Answer 3

My wife just suffered a UTI and went whacky. She was unreasonable and uncontrollable. Antibiotics were prescribed for 10 days and after about eight days began to act like her old self.

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score 1 · Answer 4

More than likely it is a U.T.I. that is the cause of your mother's hallucinations. But perhaps her doctor could review her medications. My mother, who did have a lot of U.T.I.s , was thrown into a tailspin of hallucinogenic images when she took strong medication. Monitor your mother for an improvement, too.

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score 1 · Answer 5

There can be many reasons for hallucinations
a UTI can certainly be one of them but so can other illnesses
If your mom is not better in 24-48 hrs I would contact her doctor again.
Contact someone sooner or call 911 if she is declining further

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score 1 · Answer 6

As the infection clears due to the antibiotics, you should see an improvement in her mental status. Typically, antibiotic therapy takes about 2 to 3 days to work. Seniors typically don't like to drink extra fluids but with an infection, it is very important. Good hygiene during this time needs to be practiced as well.

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score 2 · Answer 7

It can be attributed to numerous things.

When my mom went through a bad episode of hallucinating, it was believed to be a new med requested by live-in-sibling from doctor. So the doctor prescribed and the live-in-sibling was to administer first dose that night. So during my visit next day, mom began seeing dead people and talking out of her head (I suspect it was given that morning). I asked live-in-sibling was new med started so we'd know what to tell the medical professionals. For whatever reason sibling refused to answer so I called the pharmacy and doctor. They confirmed that med could cause such a reaction. It kept getting worse so I called the ambulance. We got nowhere still because live-in-sibling refused to answer. So paramedics checked mom out and told us if that med was given it may take a few days to get out her system.

When dad went through this experience, it was diagnosed as a very bad UTI. It was so bad he kept saying he had a very bad explosive type headache. So they did a ct scan to see if he had a stroke. The answer was no. It took over a week of trying different antibiotics to get his UTI among other issues under control.

Hope your mom has gotten some relief by now. Take Care.

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score 1 · Answer 8

If she has a UTI, the antibiotics should help her return to normal. If her electrolytes are out of whack, she may also be confused until they return to normal. If her confusion continues, please get her seen by a doctor for further evaluation.

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score 3 · Answer 9

My mom started speaking in only numbers during a really bad, undiagnosed UTI. I thought it was a stroke. Yes, it’s unsettling but yes, it can be helped ! Potassium level was also very low. Breathe! Don’t hesitate to get the senior to a walk-in right now.

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score 1 · Answer 10

Any infection can cause this. Seniors in particular can be shockingly seemingly asymptomatic with a significant infection going on such as a UTI or pneumonia. The clue sometimes is confusion or hallucinations. And meds of all sorts and in various combinations can do that. It sounds like she is already under some sort of care. UTIs can take awhile to knock out sometimes, or can recur, sometimes requiring some testing or empirical experimenting with different antibiotics, but persistence can be well worth it to avoid sepsis. Oxygen levels or blood sugar issues _can_ do strange things sometimes. If her hallucinations persist, many meds can cause that. A gerontologist, internist or pharmacist can sometimes cast an eye over a list of meds, change an item or two, or tweak amount or timing of a med and make quite a difference. As for timetable, who can say? I would make sure whoever prescribed the antibiotic is familiar with her meds. Some can reduce the effectiveness of an antibiotic. Have been down this road with a beloved family member before. Sending love to you, your sister, and your mom!

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score 2 · Answer 11

Yes, I saw this again and again with my mother-in-law. She would be "ok" (still crabby from dementia) but then would go into orbit and be completely unmanageable when she had a UTI. Sadly, someone with dementia can't always be coaxed to drink more and use the bathroom more, etc. It was a real Catch-22.

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