Help For Mom’s Breakthrough Anxiety

My mom had a stroke on 20 September and has been recovering in first a skilled nursing facility and now in an assisted living facility.  She developed anxiety soon after the stroke and the nurses now think her anxiety is breakthrough anxiety.  She’s been prescribed 25 mg of seroquel to be taken only at night, which seems to help her sleep.  But it wouldn’t surprise me if the nurses will want her to try more medications such as buspar or they might even suggest a benzo for anxiety.

 

I had mom home for a week a few weeks ago and heard her often scream for help throughout the day and night, almost as a crutch or safety net, kinda like Tourette’s.  Her legs have become very weak and she had multiple falls.  Even with home care I decided that it was just too dangerous to have her home as she could break her neck, especially at night when she wasn’t being watched.  I live in the country and couldn’t find anyone willing to watch her at night and I work during the day.

 

What should I do if nurses want her to try more meds?  I’m not going to allow a benzo.  Is buspar an alternative?  Any suggestions for therapy or any other methods for helping my mom?

 

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions!

 

 

Antipsychotics literally shrink the brain so low-dose Seroquel for sleep is not recommended. Antidepressants and benzos are dangerous, buspar too can cause dependence issues. Acamprosate is probably the safest anti-anxiety drug, however it too can have side-effects.

Thanks pacenik.  I’m just trying to figure out how to best help my mom.  She’s also taking 10 mg of hydroxizine to help with anxiety which I tried 3 years ago during my taper and it helped me a bit with sleep.

 

 

 

Thanks pacenik.  I’m just trying to figure out how to best help my mom.  She’s also taking 10 mg of hydroxizine to help with anxiety which I tried 3 years ago during my taper and it helped me a bit with sleep.

Hydroxizine is cross-tolerant with Seroquel. She really shouldn't use both. I've seen some members here complain about adverse effects when they do that.

I took Buspar for about 4 years 15 mg twice a day for "anxiety" and it helped a great deal. I stopped taking it in November 2019 because I realized it was not anxiety I had but withdrawals from a benzo I had taken a year prior and quit.

 

I had no problems coming off of them.

 

PG

Thanks pacenik, I didn’t know this and I would guess that the facility doctor also didn’t think of this. 

 

Thanks pg, I’m glad to know you had no problems coming off of buspar and also your benzo. 

 

I should add that my mom was molested in her bed by another patient 2 weeks into her stay at the first skilled nursing facility she was at.  The molestation incident wasn’t rape but was leading to that if mom hadn’t screamed.  Quite understandably she’s developed ptsd as a result in addition to her anxiety.

Thanks pacenik, I didn’t know this and I would guess that the facility doctor also didn’t think of this. 

 

Thanks pg, I’m glad to know you had no problems coming off of buspar and also your benzo. 

 

I should add that my mom was molested in her bed by another patient 2 weeks into her stay at the first skilled nursing facility she was at.  The molestation incident wasn’t rape but was leading to that if mom hadn’t screamed.  Quite understandably she’s developed ptsd as a result in addition to her anxiety.

 

Just to be clear I had no problem coming off the Buspar, but coming off the benzo cold turkey was hell. I am three years benzo free in 12 days and still recovering. I just wanted you to know that Buspar was not hard to come off but benzos is another story. 

 

I hope you are successful in looking out for your mom

 

PG

 

 

Thanks pg.  I unknowingly cold turkeyed off of my benzo and went through hell, I can only imagine what you’ve experienced.  I’m glad to know that coming off of buspar was easy for you. I don’t know if the nurses/doctor will try to prescribe buspar for my mom or not, I just want to be ready if they do.

 

Thanks!!

Here are a couple of herbal suggestions.  I don’t know of any drugs I’d recommend.

 

Chamomile research: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01072344

  Basically 1500mg daily of chamomile (taken in capsules).  I have done this myself and it worked with no drawbacks.

 

Sesamin for anxiety, preventing GABAa deregulation: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25822813/

  I haven’t tried this myself but have ordered it to try, in the meantime there is a thread here where others discuss it as effective and and also without drawbacks.

 

CBD, depending on willingness to try non-psychoactive cannabis therapy

 

W/D herbal remedies: https://www.livestrong.com/article/474908-herbal-remedies-for-xanax-withdrawal-symptoms/

Here are a couple of herbal suggestions.  I don’t know of any drugs I’d recommend.

 

Chamomile research: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01072344

  Basically 1500mg daily of chamomile (taken in capsules).  I have done this myself and it worked with no drawbacks.

 

Sesamin for anxiety, preventing GABAa deregulation: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25822813/

  I haven’t tried this myself but have ordered it to try, in the meantime there is a thread here where others discuss it as effective and and also without drawbacks.

 

CBD, depending on willingness to try non-psychoactive cannabis therapy

 

W/D herbal remedies: https://www.livestrong.com/article/474908-herbal-remedies-for-xanax-withdrawal-symptoms/

Yeah supplements are great idea. I've collected a list of anti-anxiety/insomnia supplements that I wish I had used instead of drugs: magnesium-glycinate, taurine, L-theanine, melatonin, GABA-producing probiotics, valeriana, lemon balm, common hop, garden angelica, chamomille, lavander, marjoram, white peony, poria, calamus, ashwagandha, ganoderma, kava-kava, magnolia, passionflower, polygala, scullcap.

Agreed, pacenik.  I’ve had some pushback about herbal positive allosteric modulators, but I have found no research to indicate plant based PAM supplements cause the damage benzodiazepines do even though they also affect GABAa.  Always open to that discussion in case someone finds research that indicates otherwise though. Information is power.

Agreed, pacenik.  I’ve had some pushback about herbal positive allosteric modulators, but I have found no research to indicate plant based PAM supplements cause the damage benzodiazepines do even though they also affect GABAa.  Always open to that discussion in case someone finds research that indicates otherwise though. Information is power.

They don't cause the damage that benzos cause, but people on and off benzos can be too sensitized for them (thus leading to setbacks). That being said, not even alcohol causes the damage that benzos cause, so I doubt magnesium and chamomile can hurt.

This is a good article. Not easy to find info on this subject:

 

Plant sources of positive allosteric modulators (chamomile, valerian, etc) :

https://sydney.edu.au/medicine/pharmacology/adrien-albert/images/pdfs/RefsPDFs/376.pdf

This is a good article. Not easy to find info on this subject:

 

Plant sources of positive allosteric modulators (chamomile, valerian, etc) :

https://sydney.edu.au/medicine/pharmacology/adrien-albert/images/pdfs/RefsPDFs/376.pdf

Thanks! I saw that document before here on the forum, but wasn't able to find it when I searched for it.

Probably from me.    I keep it in my mod notes.

Thanks to everyone for their replies!

 

Magnesium glycinate taken with 500 mg - 1000 mg of taurine worked really well for my sleep during my taper and has continued to be helpful to me 3 years later.  High doses of taurine are a stimulant but low doses have proven to be a sedative for me. 

So much for me to digest, thanks!!

 

Interesting that 1500 mg of chamomile helped so much.  I have 220 mg chamomile capsules leftover from my taper 3 years ago.  They didn't do anything for me but the dosage I took wasn't 1500 mg/day.

 

I've been told by others that they also didn't have withdrawal upon stopping Buspar, I'm glad to hear that from someone here, thanks pg.

 

Nothing has been suggested yet by the facility doctor, I'm just trying to get prepared if something other than supplements are suggested.  She's my mom and I love her.  Thanks again for the many suggestions! 

pacenik - what do you mean by cross-tolerant?  I don't know this term.  Thanks!!! 

pacenik - what do you mean by cross-tolerant?  I don't know this term.  Thanks!!! 

It works on the same receptors.

Thanks pacenik!