I was worried 'cos I live alone & there'll be no carer - now reading this 
forum I'm glad - I'd rather suicide than put a relative through that.

Quoting Elaine Wirth <[log in to unmask]>:

> Hi Moneesha!
> 
> I'm glad you found a good psychiatrist.  Dick's is good, too.  We go to see
> him about every five weeks.  He takes things slow and easy.  I'm glad Prem is
> doing better.  Dick was knocked out by Mirtazapine.  He is on Cymbalta now
> and is more alert, but it is harder for him to sleep.
> Hugs!
> Elaine
> 
> Moneesha Sharma <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Hullo Elaine,
> 
> Thank you so much for taking the trouble to reply at such length.  My heart
> goes out to you in the distress that you have had with your husband's
> psychotic symptoms.  I can empathise with you completely.
> 
> In the meanwhile we have found a really nice psychiatrist for Prem, my
> husband.  He and the neurologist are working together.  The psychiatrist has
> gradually increased the dosage of his psychiatric medications and already
> after the first day my son and I have noticed a tremendous improvement.
> Prem is calmer and sleeping through the nights; he is not voicing suspicions
> against our son and he is not as alarmed and delusional about the
> hallucinations and 'presences' as he was a few days ago.  Yesterday I even
> heard him humming along with some music that I had on.  I hope and pray that
> this medication works.
> 
> I will certainly heed your advice about any drastic change in the
> medication.  In fact, the psychiatrist warned me about this too.  And he
> pointed out that it is very difficult to tell how much of the psychosis is
> due to the PD medication and how much due to the PD itself.
> 
> Thank you again.  You sound like a really strong person and hearing from you
> about your experience gives me strength too.
> 
> God Bless,
> Moneesha
> 
> 
> 
> On Sun, Mar 23, 2008 at 3:48 AM, Elaine Wirth  wrote:
> 
> > Hi Moneesha!
> >
> > My husband Dick went to the hospital last May because suddenly he was
> > anxious, unable to feed himself, and falling and spinning.  It happened
> when
> > my Mother had just been hospitalized for breaking a vertebral body in her
> > back.  This took me away from him for many hours a day.  I don't know if
> > that had anything to do with this rapid change where he was relatively
> > normal before.  The hospital had no neurologist and refused to move him to
> > the hospital next door which had, I am told, a very good Parkinson
> > specialist.  The doctors took all his medications away from him including
> > his Carbo/Levodopa and Eldepryl.  He was very mentally sick, not knowing
> > anyone except me consistently.  All his children came, and  sometimes he
> did
> > not recognize them as his children.  Other times, he did.  He did not eat
> > for days.  He was diagnosed with a psychosis including severe jealousy of
> > me, my friends, and events that I might attend without him.  After a
> couple
> > of weeks, he was released to go
> >  home with me and my children because he kept begging to go home.  He was
> > manic and could not stop moving.  He was stumbling up and down stairs,
> > walking like a drunk person and was completely different than before he
> went
> > to the hospital.  He had an episode where he thought his son was a man in
> > love with me and threatened him with a knife.  We had to call and
> ambulance.
> >  Armed policemen are routinely sent with the ambulance in a situation like
> > this.  I asked that they not be sent because Dick was just sitting waiting
> > to be taken to jail.  My son had been a policemen and met them, asking
> them
> > please not to come in with guns, but they did, although they stayed in the
> > background.  He spent several days in the hospital, the boys left and my
> > daughter and I were left with him with no instructions of how to handle
> him
> > except not to be confrontational.   He was very upset one night, standing
> in
> > the bedroom and hallucinating.  I put my arms around him and comforted him
> > saying I
> >  would take care of him.  all of a sudden, he pulled both fists back at
> > the same time and was going to punch me.  He hasn't a mean bone in his
> body.
> >  I backed away quickly, slammed the door and braced it with my feet.  I
> told
> > my daughter to take the dog and get out of the house with the car keys.  
> We
> > drove around and slipped up to the window.  He was going through the gun
> > cabinet looking for ammunition, which had been removed.  We left for
> awhile
> > and checked again.  He had passed out on the bed completely spent.  Then I
> > called the ambulance explaining that he had medicine and was out like a
> > light so not to send armed policemen with the ambulance.  My daughter and
> I
> > waited in the driveway so that they would not barge in if they brought
> guns.
> >  They did.  I talked to the officer in charge calmly about not bringing in
> > the guns and letting me go in first.  At that point, one of the young
> cops,
> > who was standing about 8-10 feet from us raised his rifle or shotgun, and
> > pointed it
> >  directly at my head.  I said to the man with the gun, " You put that gun
> > down right this minute." (in my very even-toned 'I mean it.' Mother voice.
> >  Then I asked the officer in charge to get that young man under control. 
> He
> > did.  That night, I decided I would never call 911 again.  I know that
> > family situations can be dangerous for officers, but that was ridiculous.
> >  This "in and out of the hospital" continued with my fighting with the
> > hospital to keep Dick there.  They finally found out he had a UTI  causing
> > the hallucinations, but sent him home without any meds and kept changing
> > them almost daily when they did prescribe one.  He came home without
> violent
> > hallucinations.  When I asked the psychiatrist if I were going to be safe,
> > she said, "Yes."  I have been.  Dick still has benign hallucinations from
> > time to time, but he ignores them.  He has a wonderful psychiatrist taking
> > it very slowly with his meds and changes. Dick has never been right since
> he
> > was in the hospital.
> >  It is a roller coaster ride, but we are dealing with it. He still is
> > afraid for me to go anywhere without him, which is difficult as he tires
> so
> > easily.   After about six months, he has stayed with my sister and my
> helper
> > when I have had to leave for a few hours for business.  Two weeks ago, he
> > began letting me go to physical therapy if  I had an appointment and he
> > didn't.  I have had two partial days when he let me go to lunch and
> shopping
> > with a friend. I  had to quit my job, and we spend most of our time at
> > doctors and physical therapy.
> >
> > If the dr. ever wants to take your Mumbai off all meds at once, especially
> > the P.D. drugs, don't let them.  Talk to one of the old-timers of this
> > group.  I think the doctors did real damage to Dick when they did that
> three
> > years ago and last May.
> >
> > I don't mean to be a downer for you, but since you are thinking he is
> > over-medicated, I just want you to know how dangerous it might be if some
> > nitwit takes Mumbai off all his medicines at once.
> >
> > Good luck
> >
> > Moneesha Sharma  wrote: Hullo Ronald,
> > Thank you for taking the trouble to respond to my mail.  Yes, Mumbai has
> > always been streets ahead of other cities in India on many things.  They
> > have a Parkinson's Society there as well as several support groups.
> > However, since we are based in Calcutta it is difficult for us to take
> > advantage of all this.
> > With best wishes,
> > Moneesha
> >
> > On Thu, Mar 20, 2008 at 6:13 PM, Priscilla Rodrigues
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Hello
> > > Iam a parkinsons patient for the last 12years Iam 70 years old Ithink
> > the
> > > medication is a bit too much for him you should see a neurologist
> > specialsed
> > > in parkinsons Mirtaz is a good tablet for depression Iam surprised that
> > you
> > > dont have a support group in calcutta
> > >  does he have muscle rigidty or tremors we have very good doctors in
> > > Mumbai at the Bombay hospital and the HindujaI sugest you take a another
> > > opnion
> > > Ronald
> > >             > Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:33:12 +0530> From:
> > > [log in to unmask]> Subject: I am new to this forum> To:
> > > [log in to unmask]> > Hullo,> > I have just joined this
> > group.
> > > I found it by googling for support for> Parkinson's patients and
> > caregivers
> > > since the city in which we live,> Calcutta, India, has no support
> > groups.> >
> > > My husband was diagnosed with PD in August 2001, though I think he
> > probably>
> > > had it for about 18 months before that. Now his doctor says he is in
> > the>
> > > third stage of the illness. Apart from his motor problems, what has
> > been>
> > > quite distressing of late is the psychosis that is bedevilling him ->
> > > hallucinations, delusions and confusion. He is on> > - Syndopa 275
> > (levodopa
> > > 250 mg+carbidopa IP 25 mg), 3 tablets a day> - Pramipex 1 (pramipexole
> > > dihydrochloride monohydrate 1 mg), 3 tablets> a day> - Qutan 50
> > (quetiapine
> > > fumarate equivalent to quetiapine 50 mg), 2> tablets a day> - Mirtaz
> 7.5(mirtazapine),
> > 1 tablet a day> - Modalert 200, 1 tablet a day> > I cannot
> > > help feeling that he is on too much medication. The Syndopa dosage> has
> > > remained unchanged since the middle of 2006. The strength of Pramipex>
> > was
> > > increased from 0.75mg to 1 mg at the end of December. Subsequently the>
> > > doctor added Mirtaz 7.5 and increased Qutan from 75 mg to 100 mg at the
> > > end> of January. Hallucinations first made their appearance about a year
> > ago
> > > and> the dreams have become even more vivid and real. He had the first,
> > > quite> disturbing, episode of confusion (about whether our house is an
> > > office in> another city) in June. After this there were one or two other
> > > similar> episodes. However now hallucinations, dreams and delusions are
> > an
> > > almost> daily occurrence and the onset has been quite rapid in the last
> > 4-5
> > > weeks.> The nights are particularly bad, giving him no rest. Today we
> > have
> > > an> appointment with a psychiatrist, at the suggestion of his
> > neurologist,
> > > but I> am concerned that he might just add more medication.> > I would
> > > appreciate advice on this.> Thank you.> Moneesha> >
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