You seem to be suffering from several of these symptoms in my opinion.
Delirium is a sudden, fluctuating state of acute confusion and altered consciousness requiring immediate medical attention. Key symptoms include impaired attention, disorientation (time/place), disorganized thinking, memory gaps, hallucinations, and rapid shifts between agitation (hyperactive) or lethargy (hypoactive)
. Symptoms often worsen at night.
Key Signs and Symptoms of Delirium
- Reduced Awareness/Attention: Inability to focus, easily distracted, or wandering attention.
- Cognitive Decline: New, sudden confusion, memory loss (especially short-term), and incoherent speech.
- Behavioral Changes:
- Hyperactive: Restlessness, agitation, pacing, or combativeness.
- Hypoactive: Lethargy, drowsiness, inactivity, or acting in a daze.
- Disorientation: Confusion about time, location, or who people are.
- Perceptual Disturbances: Hallucinations (seeing/hearing things not present) or delusions.
- Emotional Swings: Rapid changes in mood, fear, anxiety, or depression.
- Disrupted Sleep: Reversed sleep-wake cycle (awake at night, sleeping during the day).
Delirium is frequently triggered by medications with anticholinergic properties, sedatives (benzodiazepines), and opioids. Common culprits include antihistamines, certain antidepressants, corticosteroids, and polypharmacy. While no FDA-approved drug exists to cure delirium, management focuses on stopping the causing agent, using non-pharmacological methods.
Delirium symptoms often come and go, with moments of clarity interspersed with confusion. Because it can signal a serious, underlying medical issue, immediate consultation with a healthcare provider is necessary.