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What Causes Hands And Legs Tremors In A Person With Dementia?
Question: Hi! My mom is 96 years old and she has dementia,
About two weeks ago, she was in the hospital, where she was admitted because she had shaking / tremor hands and legs.
Psychiatrist in the hospital has prescribed Haloperidol 1mg and Valproic ACD 1 tea spoon 2 times per day.
these medications have made her very sleepy and weak.
per her doctor's advice, we have reduced the dose of Haloperidol to 0.5 mg.
she was sleepy despite of reducing the dosage.
after that we have decided to reduce the dosage of Haloperidol to 0.25 mg. my mom had sleep a bit less,but the hands and legs have started to shake again.
please advise how to adjust medication somewhere in between (so hand shaking and sleep due to drowsiness are balanced), or should we change the medication
Dr. XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
Dr. XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
Psychiatrist
User Selected Specialty : Psychiatrist
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Patient Profile
Gender: Female
Age: 86
Visited a Doctor: Yes
Medications Tried: Haloperidol and Valproic ACD, see dosage changes in description above
Hi! My mom is 96 years old and she has dementia,
About two weeks ago, she was in the hospital, where she was admitted because she had shaking / tremor hands and legs.
Psychiatrist in the hospital has prescribed Haloperidol 1mg and Valproic ACD 1 tea spoon 2 times per day.
these medications have made her very sleepy and weak.
per her doctor's advice, we have reduced the dose of Haloperidol to 0.5 mg.
she was sleepy despite of reducing the dosage.
after that we have decided to reduce the dosage of Haloperidol to 0.25 mg. my mom had sleep a bit less,but the hands and legs have started to shake again.
please advise how to adjust medication somewhere in between (so hand shaking and sleep due to drowsiness are balanced), or should we change the medication
About two weeks ago, she was in the hospital, where she was admitted because she had shaking / tremor hands and legs.
Psychiatrist in the hospital has prescribed Haloperidol 1mg and Valproic ACD 1 tea spoon 2 times per day.
these medications have made her very sleepy and weak.
per her doctor's advice, we have reduced the dose of Haloperidol to 0.5 mg.
she was sleepy despite of reducing the dosage.
after that we have decided to reduce the dosage of Haloperidol to 0.25 mg. my mom had sleep a bit less,but the hands and legs have started to shake again.
please advise how to adjust medication somewhere in between (so hand shaking and sleep due to drowsiness are balanced), or should we change the medication
Dr. XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
Dr. XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
Psychiatrist
User Selected Specialty : Psychiatrist
Upload New Reports ยป
Patient Profile
Gender: Female
Age: 86
Visited a Doctor: Yes
Medications Tried: Haloperidol and Valproic ACD, see dosage changes in description above
Hi! My mom is 96 years old and she has dementia,
About two weeks ago, she was in the hospital, where she was admitted because she had shaking / tremor hands and legs.
Psychiatrist in the hospital has prescribed Haloperidol 1mg and Valproic ACD 1 tea spoon 2 times per day.
these medications have made her very sleepy and weak.
per her doctor's advice, we have reduced the dose of Haloperidol to 0.5 mg.
she was sleepy despite of reducing the dosage.
after that we have decided to reduce the dosage of Haloperidol to 0.25 mg. my mom had sleep a bit less,but the hands and legs have started to shake again.
please advise how to adjust medication somewhere in between (so hand shaking and sleep due to drowsiness are balanced), or should we change the medication
Brief Answer:
Valproic acid can be reduced at the cost of increasing haloperidol
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for using Healthcaremagic.
I read your query and understand your concerns.
In my opinion valproic acid can be reuced safely to one tsf per day or even it can be stopped completely as it has little role in tremors. At the same time it is possible that it is contributing to tremors at this stage as tremors are known side effect of valproic acid.
In my opinion the minimum dose of seranace is 0.5 mg for tremors and it is advisable to continue with 0.5 mg.
I also like to inform you that with continued use the drowsiness and sleepiness will come down as it is time limited side effect.
I hope this helps you.
Feel free to contact me if you have further questions.
Thanks and regards.
Valproic acid can be reduced at the cost of increasing haloperidol
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for using Healthcaremagic.
I read your query and understand your concerns.
In my opinion valproic acid can be reuced safely to one tsf per day or even it can be stopped completely as it has little role in tremors. At the same time it is possible that it is contributing to tremors at this stage as tremors are known side effect of valproic acid.
In my opinion the minimum dose of seranace is 0.5 mg for tremors and it is advisable to continue with 0.5 mg.
I also like to inform you that with continued use the drowsiness and sleepiness will come down as it is time limited side effect.
I hope this helps you.
Feel free to contact me if you have further questions.
Thanks and regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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