He is 78-years-old, 79 in a couple of months. He does not currently have a dementia diagnosis. He thinks about it, talks about it, wants it all the time. At 70 myself, I’m not so much interested anymore. I love him very much and try to accommodate him but it is getting more and more difficult. Suggestions? Is this normal for an elderly man without dementia?
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-Medication side effects, specifically those that target dopamine, like those used for treating Parkinson's disease
-Medical conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Kleine-Levin syndrome, and other neurological conditions
-Disruption or imbalance in neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine
-Past trauma, which may lead to hypersexuality as a coping mechanism
You should probably ask about checking for any brain abnormalities or new medications that could be contributing to this.
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Sit him down and tell him exactly where you stand, you are not an accommodating blow up doll, you are a human with a mind of your own.
Most men hit a sort of menopause of their own when testosterone levels go down during aging. Reassure me that he is not being given any testosterone by his GP.
So in all truth you are not noticing ANYTHING else.
Because hypersexual behavior that wasn't there before most often indicates some dementia.
They say that, and executive functions being a bit "off" are some of the early signs.
I would be honest with him, that you are attempting to accommodate as you say, but that you have your limits. First decide what those limits are for yourself, then explain them to you.
What do you mean by "He does not have a dementia diagnosis." According to who? Perhaps he just hasn't been diagnosed yet...?
Has he ever had a cognitive test? Or, are you getting this information from him?
Maybe it's time to discuss this with his doctor because it is one of the many behaviors that can come with FTD and other dementias.
"Hypersexuality and inappropriate sexual behaviour (ISB) may be the first symptoms of early onset frontal dementia. Frontal cortical brain atrophy on MRI is important for diagnosis. ISB may be under control with risperidone and olanzapine treatment."
Source: https://casereports.bmj.com/content/2015/bcr-2014-207864#
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/advances-in-psychiatric-treatment/article/hypersexuality-in-dementia/E2CFB1E9F2791BBCAE15F9580388BD19
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3596488/
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/daily-living/challenging-sexual-behaviour-dementia