Hallucinations: It's interrupting his and my sleep

My dad is starting to have vivid dreams that disrupts his sleep quite a bit. I’m not sure if they are hallucinations. He does have delusions. It’s really disturbing my mom’s sleep too. He’s already taking a small dose of Seroquel once in the evening. I suppose we may need to increase it. His doctor said he may take it twice a day. Our concern is that the med can cause balance issues and falls are a concern. Xanax doesn’t seem to help his anxiety very much anymore.

While there are risks with the meds, the benefits may outweigh the risks.

Have you discussed all of his meds with his doctor to see if any of them could be aggravating the hallucinations?

Do you have secured doors? We have a family friend who hallucinated there were people in his house, ran out into the street, fell, fractured his hip and never recovered. So, we will definitely have to address the hallucinations or place him in a secure place.

I hope you get some more suggestions. Rest for the caregiver is imperative.

My husband woke me up last nite at 2:30! Asked if i saw a person in the basment? Where i sleep. He said someone came in his room and woke him up and asked what room he should sleep in!! I said no one is in the house the doors are locked. He was going thru the rooms with a flashlite! He finally went back to bed. And as u say , its hard to go back to sleep then.

Thank you for replying. We do have an alarm system that I set at night, so if he gets up and starts wandering in the house and tries to go outside the alarm wakes me up. Thanks, goodness for that.

My husband , 63 yo, has alz caused by dementia, and he has been having hallucinations for several months and has just started Seroquel as well. His hallucinations aren't frightening to him, thank god. His hallucinations are someone he's talking to and he doesn't like that person and he starts getting upset and that's when I talk him "out of it" and he calms down and feels better. He refers to this person as Jon and we don't know a Jon, But then again, he'll see people in public and he says he knows them but I know he doesn't. Because of these hallucinations and the weird noises he makes throughout the day and especially at bedtime his doctor started him on Seroquel. He's still taking Melatonin as well to help with his sleep behaviors and patterns. For the most part its helping but there are nights where it's difficult and I can't get to sleep. Sometimes we're up til 3am but once he's asleep, he stays asleep 🙂 I don't know how often you see your doctor, but i always journal things so i can bring them up at his appts. I also journal all the good days we have as well. I hope the seroquel improves the things he's going through cuz I don't just wanna pump him full of drugs.

I believe this is something you should talk with your husband's doctor.
In the case of my mother-in-law who has Alzheimer, the geriatritian prescribed quietapine, when we mentioned that she was sometimes very anxious: she would sometimes think that the people she saw on TV were in her room; for example, she would think that the men having a bar fight in the movie she was watching were fighting in her room. However, we didn't see much difference with the quietapine and it wouldn't prevent her from getting up in the middle of the night and wander through her appartment. So we stopped giving it to her.

Later I read that quietapine shouldn't be given to people with dementia or Alzheimer. And most recently, I read this:
"The off-label antipsychotics most often used for patients with dementia are:
quetiapine and clozapine – These drugs are mostly used if a person has dementia with Lewy bodies or Parkinson’s disease dementia. This is because they interfere less with drugs that treat other symptoms of these conditions. However, there is very little evidence that they are effective. They may also cause the person to become drowsy or dizzy, which can increase the risk of falling."
Given that my mother-in-law already has a high risk of falls, we feel alright with our decision to stop that med.

Again, the correct thing to do is to discuss your husband's particular case with his doctor.
Sending a hug.
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/treatments/drugs/antipsychotic-drugs

These medications do help some people and the cost benefit is determined by those who have the patient’s best interest in mind. Some patients with dementia are inconsolable and unable to continue to live in their homes without these meds. Extending life is not always a top priority for someone who has advanced dementia and is resistant to care. And treating mental distress is just as important as treating physical pain. I don’t know anyone who’s had severe dementia who hasn’t taken antipsychotics, plus other medications for depression and anxiety. Thankfully, none of them have suffered any severe side effects from them.

I’ve seen advertisements for a med called Rexulti. I don’t know much about it. It supposedly treats agitation in those who have dementia. Of course, it has potential for some serious side effects.