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What Could Cause Muscle Weakness And Restlessness?

Posted on Tue, 10 Feb 2015

Question: My 92 year old mother began to exhibit extreme restlessness, paranoia, stopped talking (was generally mute or mumbling), had difficulty swallowing, displayed lower body muscle weakness to the point that she had trouble walking (would shuffle and stumble), had difficulty sleeping at night. Emergency room physicians ruled out a stroke or UTI. She was moved from an Assisted Living facility to a nursing home in less than 3 weeks. Currently, she cannot walk, is totally incontinent, and frequently does not recognize me. Could this be medication related (of course, I dont have her meds at this time, so you probably cannot truly determine their effect, if any). I remember hearing about a disorder that mimics stroke/dementia, that responded to a particular medication, but I cannot remember what it was called.

Answered by Dr. Dr.Albana Sejdini (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Senile dementia / Alzheimer 's disease...

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

I am sorry for the situation your wife is in. It is normal for her age to đevelop dementia (also called senile dementia ) or Alzheimer's disease . Further consultation with neurologist is needed to determine the right diagnosis.

She needs a more specific care. It is good that you entered her in a nursing home.

Try to be patient and close to her.

All the best and God bless!
Dr.Albana

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar