Question 1

Is risperdal .5 mg dose safe for an elder patient with alzheimer's and vascular dementia? i read this drug can cause sudden death in elder patients.

Accepted Answer

According to all studies so far, any antipsychotic used for the purpose of treating behavioral problems or psychosis related to dementia is associated with earlier stroke-related death. This occurs regardless of the antipsychotic and the dose. There are some studies that have shown some antipsychotics to be safer than others (like quetiapine) but those studies are small and inconclusive.

Question 2

Are there any drugs specifically for vascular dementia patients?

Accepted Answer

The best medicine would be to treat the vascular problem as aggressively as possible.  So high blood pressure should be well controlled, etc.

Question 3

My father(94 years old an with vascular dementia) is taking haloperidol (0.5 mg) to before bed because he has hallucinations. is this drug safe?

Accepted Answer

There is no drug that is completely safe.  Like many of these "neuroleptic" drugs they can affect the heart and movement system of the body.  But by the same token, sometimes the benefits outweigh the risks.  If this is the only medication that helps your father, then you have to work with its adverse effects too.  Best of luck

Question 4

What is vascular dementia?

Accepted Answer

It is confusion and loss of memory based on narrowing of the blood vessels in the brain.

Question 5

What causes vascular dementia?

Accepted Answer

Hypertension, heart disease and diabetes are medical illnesses which contribute.  Certainly lifestyle issues such as smoking and alchol can contribute.  Vascular dementia can involve lareger strokes with obvious immediate changes, or microvascular changes or "mini-strokes" which can cause increased impairment usually in memory and executive functions over time.

Question 6

Is vascular dementia reversible?

Accepted Answer

It is possible to develop or create new circulation, such as unblocking carotid artery, and brains have ways of developing new pathways to compensate, but for the most part we only slow down dementia, not reverse it. Hopefully one day there will be better treatments.

Question 7

What are symptoms of vascular dementia?

Accepted Answer

The symptoms include significant difficulty learning new information or recalling previously learned information. In addition, they can have problems with language, problems moving, difficulty recognizing or naming objects, and all sorts of problems with what is called "executive functioning" (planning, organizing, etc.).  All these changes represent a big decline from previous functioning.

Question 8

Please describe what vascular dementia is?

Accepted Answer

Vascular dementia refers to a kind of dementia that is caused by problems with the blood vessels in the brain (usually plaque formation, just as in cardiac disease) which results in loss of brain tissue due to lack of adequate oxygen and blood flow. In a sense it is like having very tiny strokes.

Question 9

What can you tell me about vascular dementia?

Accepted Answer

Here's a source you can dig into: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vascular_dementia
Function loss often appears suddenly following a stroke or TIA. It can then stay stable or even improve a bit until another TIA brings more losses. The location in the brain is reflected in the loss seen. Read here and ask your Dr for more info. Best!

Question 10

How are altzeimers and vascular dementia different?

Accepted Answer

Vascular dementia is a general term describing problems  caused by brain damage from impaired blood flow to your brain.
Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks.

Vascular dementia drugs

Is risperdal .5 mg dose safe for an elder patient with alzheimer's and vascular dementia? i read this drug can cause sudden death in elder patients.

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Are there any drugs specifically for vascular dementia patients?

My father(94 years old an with vascular dementia) is taking haloperidol (0.5 mg) to before bed because he has hallucinations. is this drug safe?

What is vascular dementia?

What causes vascular dementia?

Is vascular dementia reversible?

What are symptoms of vascular dementia?

Please describe what vascular dementia is?

What can you tell me about vascular dementia?

How are altzeimers and vascular dementia different?

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