When Mom began having her issues, I have to admit, I was a bit in denial. How?
Well, I began blaming her medications - which is a normal place to begin. We consulted her doctor, and he recommended we see a neurologist, first, before he stopped prescribing the Lorazepam.
My reasoning behind blaming the medication was that Mom referred to it as her "Happy Pill!" She would tell me that without it she felt awful and depressed. I realized she was 'slightly' addicted.
So, later, Mom did see a psychiatrist as she went with her friend, Phylis. There they changed her to Valerian Root, which had a calming effect, but Mom complained it lacked the punch she enjoyed with the other.
However, not long after, the confusion and the hallucinations began to creep back in. Mom changed doctors, and the new one prescribed Lorazepam, as she felt the Valerian was not having the desired effect (or Mom convinced her of this - Mom was quite savvy in telling her tales that would get her what she wanted!).
Within a month, Mom was having many issues. She was hallucinating, calling both my brother and me during the day and in the evening with demands for our dead father's cell number, his address, her mother's cell number...it goes on.
Clearly, something more was happening than Alzheimer's.
We'd been introduced to Alzheimer's with our maternal grandmother in 1983 when she was first diagnosed. She'd had none of the confusion and hallucinations that Mom was having; thus, things weren't jibing.
Mom's doctor phoned me, as were her friends. What we discovered was that Mom had taken a 2 month dosage of Lorazepam in 3 weeks, and then the physician standing in, while Mom's was out, made a new scrip for refills. So, we began to attribute the hallucinations of being kidnapped, losing her mother on a walk, being held hostage, having her house moved to Portland while she slept (and back again), etc., on the drugs. We'd even had an intervention which only angered her (we wanted to help convince her to move to Portland, where family was close and more available to take care of her).
Conversations between her friends and doctor and myself became a norm. Her best friend had sent me literature on LBD, but I couldn't see the fit. Then others began mentioning it - like her doctor. I was still skeptical.
Only after she was diagnosed, and I began to dig did I realize what we were dealing with. It IS different from Alzheimer's in so many ways.
Lewy Body Dementia may also include Parkinsonian Symptoms.
There are Cognitive Fluctuations with Both, but Alzheimer's (AD) has this as the norm with the First Symptoms, Lewy Body (LBD) does not.
LBD has Psychoses, meaning hallucinations, and delusions. AD cases of these is minimal.
AD patients tend to lose their speech more rapidly.
AD patients tend to experience sleeplessness. LBD patients tend to experience drowsiness at all times, with the ability to fall asleep within 5 minutes, if so desired.
LBD patients also experience physical symptoms of stiffening on one side of the body, which is also indicative of Parkinson's. They also tend to experience tremors, or other Parkinsonian symptoms.
Now, while Mom may amaze you with her tales and quick mind, you need to be aware that much of what she's telling you has no basis in reality. As her new primary stated, "She's so engaging! I could just listen to her stories for some time, and never be bored." However, many stories come from her dreams, and much from a very fluctuating memory. Nothing seems to remain locked in except her relationships to certain people she's known for decades.
Her mother? She knew who people were, she simply couldn't verbalize. She could dance, and loved moving (sometimes escaping into the night only to be found many miles away on the other side of Portland by the Police). Mom? She has a predilection for sitting and not moving much; and she used to be constantly moving.
Yes, there are differences, and it's not necessarily the medications. It's the mind.
Much Thanks to:
Comparison of Dementia With Lewy Bodies to Alzheimer’s
Disease and Parkinson’s Disease With Dementia
National Institute on Aging
Lewy Body Dementia Association
Alzheimer's Association
Well, I began blaming her medications - which is a normal place to begin. We consulted her doctor, and he recommended we see a neurologist, first, before he stopped prescribing the Lorazepam.
My reasoning behind blaming the medication was that Mom referred to it as her "Happy Pill!" She would tell me that without it she felt awful and depressed. I realized she was 'slightly' addicted.
So, later, Mom did see a psychiatrist as she went with her friend, Phylis. There they changed her to Valerian Root, which had a calming effect, but Mom complained it lacked the punch she enjoyed with the other.
However, not long after, the confusion and the hallucinations began to creep back in. Mom changed doctors, and the new one prescribed Lorazepam, as she felt the Valerian was not having the desired effect (or Mom convinced her of this - Mom was quite savvy in telling her tales that would get her what she wanted!).
Within a month, Mom was having many issues. She was hallucinating, calling both my brother and me during the day and in the evening with demands for our dead father's cell number, his address, her mother's cell number...it goes on.
Clearly, something more was happening than Alzheimer's.
We'd been introduced to Alzheimer's with our maternal grandmother in 1983 when she was first diagnosed. She'd had none of the confusion and hallucinations that Mom was having; thus, things weren't jibing.
Mom's doctor phoned me, as were her friends. What we discovered was that Mom had taken a 2 month dosage of Lorazepam in 3 weeks, and then the physician standing in, while Mom's was out, made a new scrip for refills. So, we began to attribute the hallucinations of being kidnapped, losing her mother on a walk, being held hostage, having her house moved to Portland while she slept (and back again), etc., on the drugs. We'd even had an intervention which only angered her (we wanted to help convince her to move to Portland, where family was close and more available to take care of her).
Conversations between her friends and doctor and myself became a norm. Her best friend had sent me literature on LBD, but I couldn't see the fit. Then others began mentioning it - like her doctor. I was still skeptical.
Only after she was diagnosed, and I began to dig did I realize what we were dealing with. It IS different from Alzheimer's in so many ways.
Lewy Body Dementia may also include Parkinsonian Symptoms.
There are Cognitive Fluctuations with Both, but Alzheimer's (AD) has this as the norm with the First Symptoms, Lewy Body (LBD) does not.
LBD has Psychoses, meaning hallucinations, and delusions. AD cases of these is minimal.
AD patients tend to lose their speech more rapidly.
AD patients tend to experience sleeplessness. LBD patients tend to experience drowsiness at all times, with the ability to fall asleep within 5 minutes, if so desired.
LBD patients also experience physical symptoms of stiffening on one side of the body, which is also indicative of Parkinson's. They also tend to experience tremors, or other Parkinsonian symptoms.
Now, while Mom may amaze you with her tales and quick mind, you need to be aware that much of what she's telling you has no basis in reality. As her new primary stated, "She's so engaging! I could just listen to her stories for some time, and never be bored." However, many stories come from her dreams, and much from a very fluctuating memory. Nothing seems to remain locked in except her relationships to certain people she's known for decades.
Her mother? She knew who people were, she simply couldn't verbalize. She could dance, and loved moving (sometimes escaping into the night only to be found many miles away on the other side of Portland by the Police). Mom? She has a predilection for sitting and not moving much; and she used to be constantly moving.
Yes, there are differences, and it's not necessarily the medications. It's the mind.
Much Thanks to:
Comparison of Dementia With Lewy Bodies to Alzheimer’s
Disease and Parkinson’s Disease With Dementia
National Institute on Aging
Lewy Body Dementia Association
Alzheimer's Association
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