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Need info re seroquil, my mother has developed imtermittant paranoia and hallucinations(has had PD for 2 years) which seems to appear suddenly about once every 3-4 weeks and then it disappears after a few hours. MD prescribed seroquil every night but I'm reluctsnt to give it every night if she only has these episodes periodicaly. Anyone have experience with this? They feel it's related to her sinemet and PD.
posted
Hi NESM, If the hallucinations etc started after starting sinemet it's a serious adverse reaction, any mental status changes should be reported immediately to the neurologist. It's not the type of problem that should be allowed or counteracted with seroquel, if it's suspected sinemet related. I'm not sure of your mothers age but if there is a little dementia seroquel use is questionable anyway and possibly cause additional problems.
Best to contact the specialist who diagnosed PD and prescribed the sinemet to discuss other options. Good luck Nick
Posts: 280 | From: New Zealand | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
Hi Nick, thanks for responding. my mother is 78 and has been on sinemet for 2 years. The paranoia and hallucinations first started 3-4 mos ago and she had a rapid decline in mental status. We saw her MDS and neurologist who believe it's probaply related to her PD progression and or her sinemet. I personaal y think it's the sinemet. I took her off the long acting at bedtime and she seems better. I'm not sure if I should try cutting one or two of her doses in half to see if that helps. Some days it seems like she doesn't need all her sinemet and other days she clearly does. I've discovered that every day is different! I gave her seroquil 12.5 mg twice because they told me she needed it for her hallucinations and paranoia (which she has infrequently) She had worsening of symptoms within 30" of taking it. I won't give it again! So not sure what other options are out there for my frail elderly mother who we are trying to keep active, moving, safe, and out of a NH if we can. Thanks for your response and any other suggestions! Nancy
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Hi Nancy, Sorry I didn't check for your reply,some forums are slow and many never reply,glad you did. Newton, is that Newton Abbot England?
I've edited a piece from 2006 journal,gives you some other options to think about.A change in the PD medication may help with hallucinations etc.As I may have mentioned before the seroquel may be adding to your mum's problems and as mentioned below,isn't a medication of choice. I should also say that the FDA in the USA don't approve the use of anti-psychotics in elderly people with dementia. You should know all options and risks so you can make the best decision along with the specialist. Some of the medicines used to treat Parkinson's disease include carbidopa-levodopa one (brand name: Sinemet), bromocriptine (brand name: Parlodel), selegiline (one brand name: Eldepryl), pramipexole (brand name: Mirapex), ropinirole (brand name: Requip), and tolcapone (brand name: Tasmar). For mood disorders, antidepressants - eg: nortriptyline, desipramine or serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are indicated. For psychoses, atypical antipsychotics are preferred. Clozapine is the agent of choice, but its use may be limited because of adverse effects. Quetiapine(Seroquel)has not been tried extensively. Olanzapine and risperidone worsen motor function. Various medications are used to treat the movement disorders of PD, but these agents do not usually help the psychiatric symptoms of the disorder. In fact, they may worsen cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. Patients with PD dementia respond to cholinesterase inhibitors, but improvement observed in any dementing disorder is neither dramatic nor permanent eg:Exelon,Aricept,Reminyl.
Hope that gives a little more to think about Nancy. For now Nick
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