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Steve and Brenda,

Sorry about your GM needing to go to the NH. As has been discussed in
other posts most of the PD meds can cause or worsen hallucinations.  The
first strategy is one that you used already successfully for a time-
that is to back off on the PD drugs as much as possible.  As Mary Rack
has mentioned in her post on clozaril and the other newer neuroleptics
(Zyprexa and others) the later are more variable in the relief the give
while low dose clozaril works in a fair percentage of hallucinating and
delusional PWP but can cause aplastic anemia in 1-3% of patients which
can be fatal if not caught with required weekly blood tests.  If your
grandmother were my patient with what I know in your brief description
or if it were me as a PWP with violent hallucinations, I would go with
the Clozaril and accept the risk.  I know that they have a series of
patients at Rush-Presbyterian in Chicago which certainly must exceed 50
patients at this point where the response to Clozaril has been generally
good.  Since clozaril is not approved by the FDA for use in PD related
psychosis your doctor may not be aware of this use of the drug if he/she
doesn't see it very often.  (Since you are in Idaho I presume I presume
the number of PD patients your MD is seeing because of the low
population density there is small.)

I would be happy to supply references +/ot the names of movement
disorders specialists he can talk with.

Good Luck & keep us informed of how she is doing.

Charlie
Steve and Brenda Griffin wrote:
>
> After a 2 year battle with trying to keep my grandmother(80 yrs old with
> PD) in her own home we, just last week, had to admit her to a care
> facility.  She is adjusting well and is being very well taken care of.
> However, her nurses and doctors are stumped with one thing.  She is having
> very violent hallucinations in the evenings.  Seeing babies burning, seeing
> people shoot each other to death, etc.  When we first put her on Sinamet 1
> year ago aproximately, she had these hallucinations.  We cut back the
> dosage and they seem to go away.  We have started her on another medicine
> along with the Sinamet.  Not sure of the name.  I am wondering if any of
> you have heard of this before or experienced it at all.  The experts say
> this is new to them.  That they have not seen this associated with PD or
> Altzheimers, which we think she also may have.  We are trying to keep her
> happy in as many ways possible for she is in the later stages of PD and it
> hurts to see the fear in her eyes associated with these hallucinations.
> Any help you can give would be much appreciated.

--

CHARLES T. MEYER, M.D.
Middleton, WI
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