My 92-year-old mother has Alzheimer's and has recently begun waking in the middle of the night warning other residents of a fire within the facility. She runs down the hall yelling fire while turning on their lights. The primary care physician prescribed Seroquel, but the psychiatric PA overrode the order and has prescribed Risperdal. The Seroquel put her in a stupor, and so far the Risperdal hasn't had much affect. Hoping we can find a middle ground in her alertness while decreasing the bad behavior.
Seroquel worked great for my mom! She started on 12.5 mg, half of one pill. Over the course of four years the dosage gradually increased to 75 mg. It was given once a day and continued to work well.
I sincerely hope the doctors can find an answer for your mom and get her to where SHE is calm and relaxed and can sleep through the night. I wouldn't question the fact that you placed her; just which meds she needs to calm her, that's all. Placement for an elder with advanced ALZ is often the only viable answer that makes sense for ALL concerned.
Wishing you the best of luck finding a solution.
Long story short, after seven trips to the ER in ten days (yes, the family gets to pay for the ambulance ride back to the LTCF), she was sent to a Geriatric Psych unit. This place was excellent. They really got her stabilized. They also recommended permanent Memory Care and some lifestyle changes for both of us.
Was it perfect? Absolutely not. She thought she had been kidnaped by terrorists and flown to Germany (she was the daughter of an Army General, so she believed she was a valuable hostage). She wound up seeing the staff at MC as benevolent despots.
I would begin looking for Geriatric Psych hospitals in your area. They are not common, but a good one is worth whatever you pay for it.