Is there a drug alternative to Seroquel?

I too have posted a question about Seroquel. It plainly says on the drug manufacturer's website that it should NOT be used on patients with dementia, but yet is on the Alzheimer's Association recommended drug list.

Was this answer helpful?

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Yes

No

Report Abuse

I also want to know is this safe? Please we need an expert answer.

Was this answer helpful?

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Hi Everyone.

My mother uses Seroquel, an antipsychotic which, for HER, works to control rage, outbursts, and a variety of inappropriate behaviours. She will be 82 in May. I am not advocating Seroquel IN PARTICULAR, but want to make clear that this drug has made the difference FOR MY MOTHER between being able to live with our family, as opposed to requiring a medically supervised institutional setting.

BEFORE the seroquel, my mother was aggressive, NON-COMPLIANT with any type of care provider, including medical personnel, VIOLENT, and generally unmanageable. Her life without the drug was WORSE than death. That having been said, we are not unaware of the POTENTIAL RISKS associated with the use of Seroquel for my mom.

However, WHEN WEIGHED AGAINST the REAL BENEFITS OF USING SEROQUEL, both FOR HER, and for her family, we have NO QUALMS, about using it. In her lucid moments I have discussed this with her, and she HERSELF is very clear that to the extent that it is an issue AT ALL, she would, without hesitation, CHOOSE QUALITY of LIVING over the QUANTITY of LIVING any time.

So, from the PATIENT's mouth, a patient who is still able to function somewhat normally, (due in no small part to pharmaceuticals,) QUALITY of living IS EVERYTHING...

As always,

Galowa

: )

©suzannemcable.2009

Was this answer helpful?

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Hi Everyone,

Galowa here again.

I neglected to state in my previous posting here on this issue that my mother has been taking Seroquel CONTINUOUSLY, without any evidence of side effects, for approximately FIVE YEARS.

She takes the Seroquel at bedtime, and, in addition to everything else it does, it enables her (and the rest of the family) to sleep undisturbed "through the night."

As always,

Galowa

: )

©suzannemcable.2009

Was this answer helpful?

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Hi Marilyn,

As regards the excessive saliva...

We beat that one by giving my mother hard candies to suck on. They add a few calories, which are always welcome, lubricate her throat, which makes swallowing easier, and generally make her happy!

Give it a shot! My mother likes butterscotch... But we also keep multiple dishes of VARIETY wrapped hard candies around, which she likes to HOARD!

Just need to carefully check all pockets before doing laundry... and accept the need to pick up the little wrappers!

Good luck!

Galowa

: )

©suzannemcable.2009

Was this answer helpful?

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Thank you, GALOWA, for your answers. I really appreciate knowing about the hard candies. I will do this, as the extra sliva and spitting has gotten to be very annoying. And i am happy to know that your family is comfortable with giving your mother Seroquel. I enjoy reading what you have to write. Marilyn

Was this answer helpful?

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Yes

No

Report Abuse

I too need this answered by an expert. My mother is in late stages of AD and been taking Seroquel since 2009... 8 months into the drug she lost motor skills, speech and increased confusion. We had her checked for strokes, no strokes etc. It is my opinion the Seroquel caused the lose of motor skills and speech. If this drug is not supposed to be used for AD patients ( I found this out 8/7/11 ) according to the FDA then WHY are doctors allowed to write for this. It has also been linked to over 1800 early deaths in AD patients and AstraZenca settled lawsuits over this. If I stop the drug, what happens??? Somebody please help that can give EXPERT advise !!!

Was this answer helpful?

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Dear Mark,

Sorry about your mom. Seroquel works for some, but not for others. However, when it does NOT work, or has side effects, the side effects are not along the lines of those symptoms you describe your mother as having... If anything, her symptoms are EXACTLY those you would expect to see in end stage Alzheimer's. To blame it on Seroquel is pointless.

When Seroquel DOES cause problems in Alzheimer's patients, the problems are related to diabetic reactions, increased risk of pneumonia, heart failure, extreme anger responses, and in some cases " a more rapid RATE" of cognitive decline.

HOWEVER, until that decline occurs, for those patients who achieve equanimity on Seroquel, the drug can make all the difference in the world - making a sleepless, aggressive, hallucinating paranoiac balanced enough to REMAIN AT HOME and be CARED FOR BY FAMILY. It's a powerful tradeoff. Without seroquel, my mother would have required institutionalization over six years ago. She wasn't just "difficult," she was DANGEROUS.

She still takes Seroquel, but it no longer helps her sleep through the night. Now, the neurologist has added Trazodone, which seems to do the trick.

Always,

Galowa

©suzannemcable.08.24.2011

Was this answer helpful?

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Glowa,

Thanks for the response. I agree Seroquel may work for some, as I am sure the side effects vary as well. Just curious, are you are Geriatrician? If so then of course I would take you advise on my comment as to the drugs may have caused this as "pointless". I am so confused because I have other Doctors and Pharmacist ( 2 local Doctors and 2 local pharmacist ) that say she needs to be off drug and she should have never been introduced to the drug. That is why I turned to this forum for additional information. Thank you again for your response.

Was this answer helpful?

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Hello Mark,

Not a geriatrician! Not even an M.D., but Harvard educated, and have cared for my mom for seven years now. And, I actually DID assist her in transforming herself from a drooling, uncommunicative, knife wielding, person with dementia (which she was under my father's care) to her very BEST self - including, after two years under my care - being able to PASS A COMPETENCY TEST. So, I know more than" a few things" and perhaps a tad more than the regular caregiver.

It is NECESSARY to rely on M.D.s, but always best to go to them fully INDEPENDENTLY informed. I research everything myself, so when I walk into an office the doctor knows I am WITH him or her or even AHEAD of him or her at all times.

There are websites online which allow you to calculate drug interactions/ side effects. Just google "drug interactions" and multiple sites will come up. Check them out until you find one that feels user-friendly to you. The internet is a source of information, BUT NOT ALL OF IT IS OF VALUE. Don't forget that. Cross check everything multiple times across multiple sites.

I still maintain that to blame Seroquel for your mom's symptoms IS "pointless" BUT it is NOT POINTLESS to investigate other causes, INCLUDING Seroquel "in combination with other meds" she is on... Research is critical, but all research we read is based on someone else's trial and error testing - so do your own trial and error! Why is she on the drug in the first place?

My own mother is on Seroquel (HUGE dose, by the way,) Namenda, Trazodone, Zoloft, daily megavitamin, CoQ10, Fish Oil, 81 mg aspirin regimen, (reduces stroke etc.) the new 23 mg Aricept, and megadoses of both vitamins D and comprehensive B-Complex. She exercises daily and can still read, though sometimes she needs help understanding what she reads. She is losing the ability to make intelligible conversation, but can still talk (and walk four miles...)

She EATS LIKE A HORSE! She is fed CONSTANTLY while awake. And, she sleeps a lot! But after she has had all the sleep she "needs" she is higher functioning when awake. Many people try to force a normal daily rhythm on these folks, which I have found to be a mistake. She does best when she lives a "half-life" - that is all she can handle. However, the quality of her time in her reduced periods of wakefulness is greatly improved. I believe that, like any brain, the AD brain needs REST - and a great deal more of it than a normal brain - to function at its highest level.

My mother has been diagnosed with AD since 2004, but has been symptomatic since 1998... I took on her care after she pushed my father down the stairs to his death in 2004. Currently, I am making preparations to put her in care, as she needs increasing help with physical care, and I am unable to manage providing it. Also, as she drifts further into her world of the past - into her efforts to RECONCILE her past - I believe she will benefit most by being in the company of others like herself. It absolutely torments her to see my college aged sons leading lives she herself desperately wants a chance to relive...

So, I'm sorry! Not a geriatrician... ;- ) Though, believe me when I tell you - you are not the first to think so - or to ask! All the best to you.

Always,

Galowa

©suzannemcable.08.24.2011

Was this answer helpful?

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Mark

P.S. To get a REAL expert answer on this topic, on this website, I recommend that you:

REPOST THE QUESTION as a NEW QUESTION.

On C.com, "experts" usually "weigh in" FIRST. No "expert" responded to this thread and it's two years old.

Give it a try...

;- )

Galowa

©suzannemcable.08.24.2011

Was this answer helpful?

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Yes

No

Report Abuse

The problem with any medication administered to dementia patients is the frequent inability to swallow the tablet or capsule whole. Many will frequently chew the medication which defeats the purpose of time release such as intended with Seroquel XR even though instructions are clearly given to not chew the tablet. In nursing home environments the actual delivery of medications is done by low level staff who really don't care whether the patient chews or swallows the meds so long as they are taken (and if questioned will swear the meds were not chewed). High dosage rates that are chewed can sometimes be fatal, especially for the more frail.

Was this answer helpful?

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Yes

No

Report Abuse

To MarkTN:

Some of the symptoms seem related to Parkinsons Disease. So you SHOULD check with the doctor, if your elder might have Parkinsons, as the treatment is really quite effective.

Was this answer helpful?

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Yes

No

Report Abuse

I have recently been researching Seraquel as my Dad is on it. A listed side effect IS the loss of motor skills so I am not sure why everyone on this thread is discounting that theory. My Dad had the onset of demintia and following that diagnosis, he had a mild stroke. He had hospital psychosis and they put him on seraquil. He would be alert until he took his meds. Within an hour to an hour and a half, he would not know where he was, could not finish stories or his train of thought; he would become confused; physcially he would move slower and more awkardly. The only meds he was taking that would have this kind of effect on him was seroquel. He began the process of weaning off the drug yesterday by taking a half dose. It is a heavy drug with numerous side effects. Swallower beware.

Was this answer helpful?

Yes

No

Report Abuse

Yes

No

Report Abuse