Risperidone For Dementia Tia? Posted: 03-05-06 18:38pm
My mother suffers from dementia caused by
a stroke (tia) and has gotten
progressively (slowly) worse over the last
6 yrs. She has been on toprol for blood
pressure and coumadin for stroke. She
also has a mild irregular heart beat.
Now her agressive nature has proceeded to
get worse, she was put on risperidone by a
phyciatrist. (one time 5 minute visit).
And she takes 0.5 mg twice a day. She
is like a zombie and sleeps most of the
time. Not normal for her. The warning
on the label is" don't give to elderly
dementia patients , may cause stroke".
Also, it conflicts with blood pressure
meds. She never took naps or slept in
the daytime. She is able to feed
herself, wash herself (with help), find
her room and the bath room. She isn't
incontinent .. When she is frightened or
mistreated she gets angry. (this has
always been her nature, even before the
stroke. She can usually express her
feelings and self in some way for us to
understand. There must be something
else they can give her?
Risperidone is an neuroleptic
(anti-psychotic) drug basically used for
treating schizophrenia and mania. It is
also used for treating psychotic symptoms
(hallucinations) and aggressiveness in
some neurological disorders like dementia.
In cases of dementia anti-psychotic drugs
should be used in doses as small as
possible in order to minimize the side
effects. Sleepiness is one of the side
effects. In case of Risperidone that
would be 0.25-0.5 mg twice a day. You can
try to decrease the dose to 0.25 mg twice
a day.
Her aggressiveness can be also due to
anxiety. In that case antidepressants
(paroxetine, sertraline) may have better
effect.
You should consult some neurologist about
all these possibilities.
