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Dear Susan, You raise a number of important questions about what is going on with your mother. From how you describe her behavior, it sounds like she is in a delirium, and/or going periodically into a delirium. The prime characteristics of delirium, as you know, include clouding of consciousness, disorientation, and loss of recent memory. It is vitally important to determine the cause of the delirium and the efforts to do so should be persistent. Unresolved delirium could lead to dementia to my understanding. After infection, etc., is ruled out, it is best to look at drugs which can induce delirium. The anticholinergic agents are the most common medication cause. Characteristics of anticholinergic activity include severe agitation, disorientation to person, time or place, confusion, hallucinations, etc. Artane may well be the agent which is causing the problem. Typically one comes off anticholinergics rather slowly and it is good that you will be having a geriatric specialist looking at her. The more confusion is in the presentation, the more difficult it may be to determine if dementia is present. Clearly, if the Artane is the culprit, deliberation about dementia will be more meaningful after it is off the scene. Clearing her up mentally appears to be the most pressing issue right now. The issue of rigidity, etc., can then be sorted out later. This may well be a situation for a center specializing in movement disorders due to its complicated presentation. Good luck seems to be too tame, but good luck. Tim Hodgens Tim Hodgens, Ph.D. Psychologist 18 Lyman St. Westborough, MA In a message dated 98-11-21 12:47:37 EST, you write: >Subj: dementia? >Date: 98-11-21 12:47:37 EST >From: [log in to unmask] (Susan Tomlin) >Sender: [log in to unmask] (Parkinson's Information Exchange) >Reply-to: [log in to unmask] (Parkinson's Information Exchange) >To: [log in to unmask] (Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN) > >Hi, again > >Our Family Doctor phoned last night to let me know that she would be >bringing in a Geriatric Phyciatrist to look at my mother who is still in >the hospital. She thinks that my mother may also have dementia and want to >get it confirmed. > >My mother is on sinemet right now and it seems that as soon as she is given >artane too my mother becomes more and more confused. Yesterday, she was so >confused she didn't know where she was, she told me this long convoluted >tale of where she had been the day before ( all of it totally bizaare ), >she doesn't know or understand what time it is,etc..... > >Saddly, with the combination of these two drugs she physically improves >greatly, but mentally she is totally out of it!!! Our Doctor feels that my >mother is sensitive to these drugs because of dementia and they make her >more confused. Has anyone heard of anything like this before? I know my >mother has had tiny episodes of mild confusion in the past and also her >knowledge of mathematics is gone, she also complained of of memory loss, >so I wonder if it is the drugs causing this or is the Doctor right about >dementia? My mother was diagnosed with parkinson's disease in '92 and about >a few years ago my she began to complain of having more difficulty with >doing math. She is 67. Does dementia come on that fast???? Is there a test >to prove one has dementia? > >Thanks for any information. > >Take care > >Bye for now > >Susan > > >To Email me: [log in to unmask] > >To see me: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/1391/index.html > > >