New here. My dad has started experiencing hallucinations at night and not sure how else to support him.
spoken with his Parkinson’s nurse who’s prescribed melatonin - just waiting for the prescription.
I’ve put on a light at night, removed caffeine from his tea, removed things that cause shadows in his bedroom.
At 4am this morning he phoned the police cause his hallucination told him she needed help.
Any advice from anyone about what I can do to help?
Hi @David_Liddle, welcome to the forum. We hope you’re finding it useful so far.
Some people with Parkinson’s may experience hallucinations or delusions. They usually happen as a side effect of Parkinson’s medication. But in some cases they may be a symptom of Parkinson’s, or another condition, such as dementia.
We have more information on this page: Hallucinations and delusions | Parkinson's UK
It’s good you’ve already spoken to the Parkinson’s nurse and made the changes you mentioned at home.
It can be tempting to correct or challenge what he’s seeing, but often it helps to gently reassure him that he’s safe and that you’re there with him. Keeping the environment calm, with a soft light and familiar surroundings, can also reduce how unsettling it feels, and it sounds like you’ve already taken some thoughtful steps with lighting and removing shadows.
If your dad’s hallucinations continue, his Parkinson’s team may want to review his medication, as some can contribute to this.
Given he called the police, it may help to think about a bit of extra support at night if you can, or a plan for who he can contact so he feels safe and reassured.
If you’d like to chat further to someone in our team, we’re here on freephone 0808 800 0303 and always happy to talk things through.
Sending our warmest wishes
The Parkinson’s UK Moderation Team 
Hi David,
I think the moderators touched on a very significant aspect of this situation.
Whilst it can be as a result of the PD itself, I feel that the situation is exacerbated as a result of the interactions between the various medications.
What I am going to say may sound strange, however why not talk to your pharmacist.
While the doctors know what to prescribe the pharmacists actually have more knowledge as to how the various drugs interact.
Hello @David_Liddle been there .. it’s hard. My wife phoned 999 at 10.30 pm as she believed something was going on in the house. It was. Hallucinations…. We had a visit for a WPC to confirm that we were both ok .. but now of course we have a marker on our phone number saying “ dementia” .
Were trying to find out what medication triggers it as one day she fine the next week have people in the house, or she wanderers outside.. but the hallucinations are not every day ..
2 years now … it’s hard for your dad and you …. I know… first hand
Thanks for everyone’s responses.
melatonin seemed to help for a couple of days but it’s always followed by a horrendous night with his hallucinations getting worse. They seem much worse when he’s tired.
he’s getting really upset now and I’m doing what I can to support him but nothing seems to be helping. Should I be pushing for his medication to be changed or should I be pushing for an antipsychotic med to be added? Not sure what is best for him. Has anyone any experience of what to expect with either option?
Hi @BernardPUKModTeam25 do you know of any service I can get help from when my dad is in a bit of a crisis with his hallucinations?
tried the Parkinson’s Nurse team - no telephone appointments for over a week.
tried his consultant - no guarantees that I’ll get a call back before next week
Tried GP - they won’t do anything without consulting his consultant and nurses
my dad is in extreme distress today with the hallucinations and there doesn’t seem to be any urgent services available to help.
Hello @David_Liddle, we’re sorry to hear that your dad is in extreme distress today with the hallucinations. We understand that this must be very hard and upsetting for both of you. We are here for you.
Our helpline is available from 9 am to 6 pm today: 0808 800 0303. You can speak to our trained advisers, including specialist Parkinson’s nurses, about your concerns with your dad’s distress and hallucinations as you wait to get through to his consultant and specialist team.
If you need urgent support for your dad, please call 111.
Take care
Parkinson’s UK Moderation Team
Hi david, I went through this last year with my hwp. As the moderator suggests, your only recourse if you can’t get hold of your parkinsons nurses or neurologist is to phone 111, they might be able to link you to emergency psychiatric services, but it’s a stressful process navigating all these different specialist services. In the end my hwp ended up in a psychiatric assesment unit where he was indeed eventually settled on antipsychotic meds after a long period of assesment. Keep phoning, keep highlighting your own personal struggles to support your dad.in our case only perseverance got us the result we needed. I hope this helps