Depression symptoms in the elderly

Common Questions and Answers about Depression symptoms in the elderly

depression

Avatar f tn The elderly generally take smaller doses because the liver metabolizes drugs more in the elderly. And any antidepressant can cause increased anxiety particularly in the beginning, but even later, as they can be stimulating.
Avatar f tn Hi. 5'10" Gent, and brand spankin newbie to this site. i just turned 56 in April. In my journal August. 12, 2013, I recorded wgt. 247.5 lb, BP 157/101, severe depression & anxiety with heaart palpitations and mid-nightime panic attacks. Also using CPAP setting of 14cm for severe sleep apnea, and suffered almost daily migraines. Plus my triglicerides were, as my dr put it, "through the roof!
Avatar n tn That is not a rare disease. Insomnia and day time sleeping are very common in the elderly. Also, you need to define what "problems's sleeping" means. Do you mean sleeps too much, sleeps to little, snores, awakes, stops breathing, etc.
Avatar f tn At the top of the forum index page there are two buttons - Warning signs of Depression and Symptoms of depression. The symptoms page follows the DSM (Diagnostic Statistical Manual) which is what pdocs used to diagnose mental illness. The other one, warning signs, covers DSM symptoms and a few more related signs which may or may not be present, like anxiety, irritability and alcohol use.
139792 tn?1498585650 They then compared the ability of cognition, personality, and demographic and functional indicators in explaining depressive symptoms in the octogenarians and centenarians respectively. They were surprised to learn that overall cognition was not a stronger predictor of depressive symptoms at either age. Rather, it was the loss of the subject's control -- problem-solving in the octogenarians, and choosing where they lived in the centenarians -- that tended to depress them.
Avatar n tn He may not even be suffering from Depression. In most cases (not all) if a person is suffering from Severe Depression, then the symptoms are so God awful horrifing and uncomfortable that they will do almost anything to make it stop. This includes going to see a doctor. In some cases Depression sufferers will suffer in silence and resist treatment. This is usually out of shame about admitting that they have a Mental Illness.
897400 tn?1303329148 Tianeptine appears to be as effective as fluoxetine, sertraline, amitriptyline, clomipramine and mianserin and more effective than maprotiline in improving associated anxiety in patients with depressive disorders. Depression and anxiety symptoms in alcohol dependant patients also respond well to tianeptine. The adverse effects associated with tianeptine are similar in many respects to those of the SSRIs and minimal in comparison with the tricyclic antidepressants.
Avatar f tn He offered help me to sweep the floor/yard. Hanging and picking up the clothes. He also concentrated on the weather make sure he picked up the clothes before it rained. He'll miss if he slept all the day long! LOL. He liked sleep (usually longer hour than us). He said to me, when getting old all the bones shrink, so can feel the body aching. He said exercise is important. Even he was on the bed, he also moving his toes and fingers a lot.
Avatar m tn He is now in a psych unit and now taking clonidine and lorazepam, we hope that this combination will work for him coz, we, the family, are already suffering from his condition. Does the benefit outweighs the risk in trying prozac for an elderly patient? and does clonidine better in teating deppression?
Avatar m tn People,don't lose faith,depression can be treated with the right therapy and the right medications,it's a question of finding the right meds for your depression,it's trial and error until you find the right one or combination and then life can become so much easier.Always consult your doctor when coming off meds and don't stop cold turkey because the withdrawl symptoms can be shocking.Don't ever think you're alone either because you're not.
Avatar m tn The elderly metabolise benzodiazepines more slowly than younger individuals and are also more sensitive to the effects of benzodiazepines, even at similar blood plasma levels. Doses for the elderly are recommended to be about half of that given to younger adults and are to be administered for no longer than 2 weeks. Long-acting benzodiazepines such as clonazepam are not generally recommended for the elderly due the risk of drug accumulation.
Avatar m tn t go now his body will force him to go eventually and it may be too late. By nipping things in the bud we can prevent any serious problems in the future. You should also get him on probiotics either a supplement or yogurt enriched with it. We are more apt to develop polyps after the age of 50 and that's why they suggest we start having colonoscopies at age 50.
Avatar f tn I am concerned in that because is elderly that he is being medicated for something neurological they were unable to diagnose. I had an elderly friend of the family whom my mother knew. He was in the hospital and he had some blood loss after surgery. He started talking incoherently because of this and they almost gave him Risperdal for "psychosis". Of course my mother stopped them and he did not have any "psychosis" but imagine if she hadn't.
Avatar n tn Can chronic prescribed use of lithium carbonate in an 85 year old elderly patient being treated for bi-polar disorder/depression for past five years coupled with recent prescription of coumadin (within the past 2 months) cause lithium toxicity manifested by delirium symptoms in the elderly patient, as well as very low heart rate?
Avatar n tn Hi Grace, She has the horrible burning in her back. She was diagnosed with "shingles" several years ago after a doctor noticed the blisters. Most of the time she doesn't break out, but just has the internal symptoms. They are almost always on her back. She has had several different episodes in the last year or so and they usually last for weeks. She was diagnosed this week from a blood test. She had a really severe case of shingles years and years ago. Thanks!
Avatar f tn If a person is young (ish) and otherwise healthy and gets a UTI, that person will feel the normal symptoms of it, but someone who is elderly (although someone does not necessarily have to be 'elderly' to have Alzheimers), and suffers from dementia or Alzheimers, will have a much different experience. I went through this with my mother and currently, my MIL, and it is absolutely true. Below is a short excerpt taken from the link I will share below...
Avatar m tn However, as recent as yesterday the pain started coming back. She is in Trinidad and Tobago right now on holiday for the past month and the pains in the left side of her head started coming back. She is in extreme pain and I am seeking anyone's help in identifying the nature, cause and proposed treatment of this strange occurrence. Please help us. Thank You!
Avatar n tn Go with lots and lots of fiber, at least the minimun daily requirement and this should help unless she is developing IBS. Try this and if it doesn't work have her see a GI dr.
Avatar n tn Time between occurances range from a few days to a few months. Anyone have an idea of what the cause or remedy might be in this very elderly and frail person?
Avatar f tn My friend is 75 yrs young and was given permission to take q cop's segway for a ride. well he hit a depression in the road and ended up with a severe brain injury. Why wouldn't our local newspaper write an editorial about it? I know they know but this officer has been in trouble before with driving his daughter to school and was suspended but this is being brushed under the rug What as an elderly/didabled communitycan we do to stop this injustice?
Avatar f tn Hi, my mother is 73 and has been healthy except for some minor back issues and eye degeneration. In the last 5 months, her memory had gradually become worse, repeating questions, not recalling previous conversations, confusion, etc. She wakes everyday crying and panicked. It started gradually and used to get better in the afternoon but now it is all day crying. She now has a shuffle not a walk and is stooped over. Her mouth seems to twist up.
691463 tn?1227419054 we have an elderly cat of 17, he is suddenely much more lethargic than usual, as if in a daze and drooling heavily, we wonder if he may have had a stroke, he experienced something like a seizure couple of weeks ago.
Avatar f tn Though much more rarely I also feel pressure in my hands and face. The more I think about this symptoms, the more I feel them. Sometimes I also feel random bites all over my body. None of the afore mentioned symptoms put any impairment in my daily routines. Since I'm extremely hypochondriac and taking into account these symptoms I've put in my head that I suffered from MS.