In the same study into memory-related medication, they also found that people taking them had an 18% higher chance of having a hip fracture. Has there been a noticeable change in their behaviour? Are they more fatigued, less willing to do things for themselves or napping more often? Risks of dizziness and fainting with dementia
Have they been audibly more unsettled, perhaps moaning, groaning or sighing more often than usual? Withdrawn Have they been noticeable sick? Dizziness can lead to nausea and vomiting. So how do you know if your loved one is feeling dizzy? Loss of balanceĪre suddenly more prone to stumbling or generally look less steady on their feet? Nausea
While fainting episodes can be easier to spot, symptoms of dizziness and vertigo in people who have difficulty explaining how they’re feeling can be challenging to pick up on.
How to tell if someone is dizzy or faint with dementia Drugs used to treat other dementia symptoms such as psychosis, anxiety, insomnia, and depression, can all have a similar effect. Unfortunately, it’s not only memory-related drugs that can lead to dizziness and fainting. The same study also showed that people regularly taking cholinesterase drugs were 18% more likely to experience a hip fracture as a result of a fall – a worrying statistic. A study was carried out in people who used these cholinesterase inhibitors and found that 69% of people taking them had a slowed heart rate, a huge factor in why those taking it were more prone to feeling faint. However, the side effects of these memory-related drugs can have an associated impact on someone’s heart rate, slowing it to a point that can cause people to feel dizzy, and even faint.
This chemical helps our brains function in many ways, and is essential for processing learning, memory, and concentration. Memory-related medications (the main ones are known as cholinesterase inhibitors), allow the brain to produce more of a chemical called acetylcholine. One of the most commonly recorded causes of dizziness and fainting in people living with dementia comes down to the medicine they’re on. Could medicine be making the dizziness worse? One of the precursors of dementia has now been identified as an increase in fainting and dizzy spells – something you may have noticed in your loved one before they were diagnosed with a dementia-related illness.Ī recent study carried out in the Netherlands looked at 6,000 people over a 15-year timeframe and found that people who repeatedly suffered periods of low blood pressure – otherwise known as hypotension – and associated dizziness were 4% more likely to develop dementia at a later point in life. When the latter dips dangerously low, it can lead to spells of dizziness and fainting. The autonomic nervous system controls a variety of essential bodily functions such as maintaining the pulse and blood pressure. This is since Lewy Body Dementia attacks the part of the brain that controls the autonomic nervous system. While different people experience dementia symptoms in different ways, one of the more common signs of Lewy Body Dementia (often referred to as the second most common type of dementia), is dizziness and fainting. Does everyone with dementia have dizzy spells? The medical term for dizzy spells that lead to fainting is called syncope and is caused by a momentary drop in either blood pressure, heart rate or blood in certain parts of the body – all things that people living with dementia are more prone to experiencing. Lightheadedness, feeling dizzy and fainting spells are some of the most alarming symptoms someone may be experiencing if they’re living with dementia.įor the most part, it’s not necessarily the dizziness that’s the main concern it’s more the potential those frightening fainting spells have to cause injury and greater pain if they fall.