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Mom was diagnosed with clinical depression back in the 1970s, but for years was fine when she worked several jobs. However, she went back into a severe depression in 2008 when my job was transferred 2 hours away and my aunt died within two weeks of each other. I had to hospitalize her but she never totally came back completely, and at that point I noticed that her speech had considerably slowed down and began to slur. Had her checked for strokes but she did not have them. She does have Paget's disease of the bone which is in her skull, and she is almost completely deaf in the left ear.

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I have taken 50 mg of Trazedone for over 20 years for restless leg syndrome and haven't had any side effects. My mom recently started taking a half 50 mg pill since she was in a rehab facility to help her sleep. She is home now and claims she hears organ music playing during the night. She can't hear me knock on her bedroom door when she isn't wearing her hearing aids. I told her it is probably angels playing music for her to help her sleep. She used to be a night owl, up until 2 or 3 AM and out of bed by 8. Now she sleeps from 11-8.
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One early morning my mom, who has dementia, called me into her room. She was panicked and had opened her window, something she is usually too paranoid to do. She asked "Did you see it?" and I answered "What?" and she said "The white monkey". Apparently she had her window open to let the monkey out. Another time, she was convinced there was a bear in a tree across the street. Unfortunately, our area was visited by a bear a few months later and it was all over the news. Hah! So I wouldn't worry about what your mom might "see"... the best we can do is reassure them and try to maintain a sense of humor.
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yes it could be dementia, as my mom hears and sees things that are not there, she also takes trazodone, there is a medication for your mom if she has dementia called aricept, my mom takes 14 meds per day for multiple disease, will keep you in my prayers
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My mom is on only Paroexetine for depression that she has taken for many years. She is also in the moderate dementia stage. She used to take Aricept (which did not help at all) and complained only of "strange dreams" at night. When we removed the drug, they stopped. However, in the last six months I have heard her talking to our cat who is not in her room but mine and claims to have seen a white cat in her room. I have gone in when she claims to have seen it and found nothing in her room or anywhere in the house. That would be about it so far. I have heard that it sometimes happens with dementia patients.
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The information on Oleptro (trazodone) says it has a long half life, so even though your mother has stopped it, she could still be having sleepy side-effects. Seeing things at night is hard on anyone since your rods and cones don't work well in the dark. At any rate, tell her psychiatrist. If she has not resolved a depression in these last 5 yrs., then that medication did not work. There are so many other meds she could try. Have her thoroughly checked by a her primary doctor to rule out any medical causes for the depression (it could be a low thyroid or B-12 deficiency). If all chemistry panels check out okay, then switch meds. Getting an antidepressant that works takes a lot of time and many, many tries to find the right key to unlocking her depression. Another resort is ECT (electro convulsive therapy) for resistant cases. Getting her medically checked is a priority. With Paget's disease there are usually no symptoms, but one can fall and fracture bones. My best to your mother and you.
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Seeing things that aren't there can be a form of dementia called Lewy body dementia (LBD). Although this dementia affects 1.3 million Americans, it is unfamiliar to many primary care physicians and is often mis-diagnosed as Alzheimer's disease. LBD affects a person's thinking, behavior, and movement. Besides hallucinations, people with LBD exhibit excessive daytime sleepiness, loss of interest in the world around them, stiffening of muscles, changes in gait, significant and fluctuating levels of awareness, and other symptoms. A neurologist is typically is the one who can make an accurate diagnosis. Some medications that work well for patients with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's diseases can have significantly negative outcomes for people with LBD, hence an accurate diagnosis is particularly important. To learn more, visit the Lewy Body Dementia Association's website, www.lbda.org. I'm sending you and your Mom lots of healthy and supportive thoughts!
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Oh so many stories....We live in a mobile home/manufactured home park for seniors. One day while sitting on our deck out front, my mother (with moderate dementia) started waving. I said, "Who are you waving at"? She said, "Those guys that are sitting outside of their basement". I said, "Mom, these places don't have basements. They are mobile homes." Well we went back and forth with this for a few minutes until I told her to show me what she was looking at. She took me to the house next door (incidentally, there were no people outside at all) and stood in front of a large plant pot and said that the stairway that goes to the basement is under the pot. She held onto that one for awhile. My brother and I still could not figure that one out. It gave he and I a laugh.
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I figure we won't know for sure until we're the ones affected. The best we can do is understand, support, and weigh the pros and cons.
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My 93-year old mother has dementia. She is not on any medication for that. Some mornings she will tell me that she had conversations with a deceased family member. When I tell her she must have dreamed it because that person is dead, she insists they were there. At first I took this as a sign that my mother might be ready to "meet her Maker" even although she appeared to be in pretty good physical condition. (Throughout my life I've heard stories about people dying who are visited by spirits of loved ones.) Now I am relieved because she still doing fine physically and occasionally will still talk about seeing and talking to dead family members. I've chalked it up to dementia. Sometimes I'll remind her that they are dead. Other times I'll just indulge her and listen. So far her "visions" are harmless.
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Could it be a urinary tract infection?
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