Dementia and drooling

[calista]

I'm caring for my husband who has dementia.

He has a problem with drooling .

Doctor prescribed atropine drops under his tongue which I find hard to administrate .

Sometimes these drops make him very drowsy maybe too many drops .

He did have patches behind his ears but seemed to cause more confusion .

Does anyone have success with this ?

Thank you

[Hidden]

This isn't something I've had to deal with calista but it sounds challenging as too much drooling can lead to sores developing as well as well as making it difficult to keep your husband dry and comfortable. You didn't mention what sort of drops were prescribed, but the ones I know of, are scopolamine, (also known as hyoscine), and these are often administered as behind-ear patches too, so it sounds as if this is what you are using, but now in drop form.

And unfortunately they do cause drowsiness and sometimes dizziness too. I guess it means that you can only weigh up which is the more distressing and troublesome, the drooling or the sleepiness. Perhaps you have more control now that you are giving the medication in drop form, inasmuch as you can withdraw a dose once in a while to try to reduce some of the drowsiness.

Sorry I can't suggest any more than this. Maybe other community members will have better solutions.

[calista in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for reply.Yes I can control the dosage with the drops.

Some days better than others with the drool.

Goes with the condition.

[Robbo1]

Sorry Calista, my husband had atropine drops , but for his eyes. Rx

[calista in reply to Robbo1]

Thank you Robbie for your reply.Yes they are eye drops but they dry up saliva too. To a degree !