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Message Boards Forum Index Medications/Treatments for Alzheimer's and Other Related Dementias namenda and aricept|
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My name is at the bottom of the previous post of Sept 19 by coffesnob, but I did not write it. Coffesnob must have inserted the last paragraph in a post of mine, and mistakenly let my name stay at the bottom. I would NEVER say "I will ignore the ALZ drugs until the very last minute that I can." I would say just the opposite, and encourage anyone to follow the doctor's recommendation to start proven effective medication when it is prescribed.
I have noticed that there has been no posts concerning the British medical journal, Lancet, and the study which showed homeopathic substances to be no better than placebo in treating any disease, and homeopathic research studies to be entirely invalid. For those interested, the BBC had an article on-line at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4183916.stm and I would suggest that anyone also check out http://www.homeowatch.org and http://www.quackwatch.org for good references on the fraud that is homeopathy. Dan |
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I took Aricept for 4 yrs.when it stopped working I was put on Razadyne,that was 3 yrs ago.I now am nearly on my 4th week of Namenda.I am doing great.Anyone who doesn't take advantage of the meds for AD is doing their loved one a disservice.That's how I feel about that!!!
SnowyLynne |
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Coffee: Stop trying to say I work for a pharma, that's a complete insult. In terms of your credibilty it's about credible arguement not your personal status as a caregiver. Crediblity isn't personal in Medicine it's about what you present and how you present it. Your statements are what's called anectodal, which means they are not proven again and again or disproven again and again. It's about how you argue your point and the information you bring to the table.
I'll say one more time..start a string about homeopathics and leave this room to discuss Namenda and Aricept as those of us in hear want to discuss it openly without attacks about how it's "dope" as you call it...and as an FYI Cholenergics such as Aricept, Exelon and Remynl as well as the NMDA antagonist Namenda do not cause a doping effect...Haldol and Ativan do I give you that and agree. Those are not nice medications...Haldol is a terrible drug for AD in my opinion. |
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mim;
heres how I see it. The credible argument, is what success I have seen versus, the failure I already saw. I not claim my mother is being cured,I claim she is being helped. Her behaviors are under control, and shes 100% better and cognitive on her homeopathics, versus what the geriatric psychiatrist put her on, which was "dope". She fell, she slept so hard we could not even wake her up, she had no language skills, even at a reduced dosage, she was zoinked. Now shes functioning.....Now I observe 35 residents on this sad secure floor, that are all for the most part zoinked, not because of the nurses and caregivers, but by the stupid MD's that are writing the orders for these drugs, there is a case of a woman who developed seizure disorder from aricept, who never had seizures before, sure it could be just the disease, but I doubt it. I think that at the most severe stages, there should be a law against all these meds, its not providing any quality of life. I am getting sick of having my statements being called anectudal, not being proven...again and again. With all now that you have read, how can you say there is no proof. Why I would continue to over and over come back to this same discussion, if it was not true, why would I care? You are very pro-drug, I am not, and feel stronger about that day by day. The point that I see, where I am, is that this disease is a disease of the spirit. I know there is blood vessel changes in the brain, and it showed up in my mothers brain-its a real disease. I do not think ever that my mother will be cured, and I am feeling so fortunate that right now, at least I can have her undoped, and coherent. But the part that gets me, about the Pro drug theory, is whats missed, is the human spirit. Its disregarded. Drugs disregard it. Imagine for a minute, does a severely progressive dementia patient have fear mim??? What can you do to help the fear?? Do they feel lonely?? Are they sad?? None of the pro-drug posters here can name a "drug" to cure or help to ease these things. Heres where I think, at least right now, my mothers spirit, is happy. I know we are coming from different planes of thought, but thats the whole point. You have to look at the human spirit. And quite honestly, I do not have to start a thread on homeopathics...I think its more vital to put it out there in the mix of the drugs. We have to question everything, and oh my god, the amount of people that are reading this entire message board have thousands of drug questions, and they need to hear the other side, the other possibilities and hope for the human spirit. peace |
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Coffee:
I appreciate your thoughts and yes it is a disease of emotion. I don't argue that. What your missing is that the discussions aren't about that, they are bout the usefulness of two specific medications. That's what I keep saying, if we were talking about the humanism of the disease the posts would be called "Fear and Alzheimers" not "Aricept and Namenda" this is a space where people like ourselves can come discuss the issues around the medications, not homeopathic medications or to argue them, not the emoitions of the disease, we can discuss that but it needs to be a different string there we can debate about what our hearts desire. And yes the human spirit suffers and yes we all feel helpless, but what we have to work with is what we have to work with...I hope we'll see better treatments. I am protreatment, whether that is Redirection Validation, Aricept, Namenda or Tylenol....it's just about the science of it. |
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My mother has been on Aricept for about 4 years and when she was in the hospital and they had her off of it I could see a difference in her. She went down more rapidly. The Dr. decided to try both Aricept and Namenda and she became very sad, every night she would say that she was dying and would tell me bye when I would tuck her in and want my husband to assure her that he would take care of me when she was gone. I talked to my Dr. and told him about her mood change and he had me take her off of it and within 3 or 4 days she was totally differnt and not worried, telling me bye at night etc. The Aricept has really been good for my mother.
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I WISH I COULD SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH ALL FAMILES IN PAIN WITH THIS DISEASE. We took our mom off both of the above drugs. Our doctor prescribed Depakote as the last resort for her aggression and hallucinations. MIRACLE DRUG!!!!! Please insist on it even if they don't want to prescribe it. It is for crrzy people, bipolar people etc. A new drug for this disease. My mom is compliant, laughs again,aggression gone, enjoys the nursing home.
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It appears to me that whether you use natural remedies or man-made, you should be open to trying any/all things. And to be very aware of the effects your loved has when on the said medicicnes. Everyones ALZ is different, the so-called stages, symptoms, severity. At this earily stage of research and analysis, how can we or the scientififc community be certain of what works or not?
Eileen |
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I would hold a crystal over my mother's head if it had been shown to be safe and effective in treating AD. But it has not. Herbal remedies, homeopathic substances, and playing Beatles records backwards have never been shown to be safe and effective treatments for AD, and I would not waste my time and effort on them. There are medically accepted drugs, Aricept and Namenda, and there are therapies that can comfort the AD patient and help to retain some ability to perform activities of daily living. And a big hug now and then does wonders. Dan |
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We took my Mother off Arricept in May. I asked the Doctor if it still works after 5 years. I told him I would observe what happens. After about 2 weeks, she started forgeting that she lives in her own home. Almost every night she wants to go home. She knows what street she lives on but thinks about her home when she was growing up. Always wants to know if the others are coming home. I explain to her that she is home and she eventually understands. I show her mail she has received with her name and address on it.
I thought she should go on Namenda or back on Aricept, but if this happens on the pill it won't really matter. She still dresses herself, makes her bed, takes a shower (with some reservation) by herself, makes her oatmeal, helps somewhat in the yard, and walks ok. Tomorrow she will be 92. She doesn't like to take pills. I want to keep her as independent as possible. She probably will out live me. Dorothy
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Not everyone can take the meds for AD.Therefore herbs & other things come into play.I have a friend here in Texas whose hubby cannot use AD meds.she used different herbs that seem to help him.This in NOT the norm........................
SnowyLynne |
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DAN: YOU HAVE TO INSIST ON DEPAKOTE. My mom is on the same drugs. As a last resort our doctor(friend of 20 yesr) put mom on depakote.It has been a moracle drug for her. It is not FDA approved, but who cares. Add this drug to what she is on, and you will have your mom back: happy, compliaint and enjoying life. With Depakote the aggression, pararnoi, and crying was gone. Who cares if it is not FDA approved if your loved one is content!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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BUT,not every drug works for the person the same way.
SnowyLynne |
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My wife has been on 20mg of Aricept for several years and 20mg of Namenda since FDA approval. I divide this into two doses. 10mg of each at breakfast with cereal and milk. And another 10mg of each after dinner with milk and/or ice cream. The milk and ice cream serve to minimize stomach upset which can be present with both drugs. In the early weeks of Aricept she suffered from nightmares from time to time, but she gradually adapted to both drugs without further incidents. You must bear in mind that simply because you don't observe improvement after administering these drugs it does not mean the drugs are not doing their job of slowing down the progression of AD. However, in my wife's case I noticed improvement in 3-4 weeks with Aricept as it eliminated her tendencies toward physical violence she had developed. I noticed no changes after beginning Namenda, BUT, this does not necessarily mean it was not doing it's job of slowing the progression of the disease.
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Magents and voodoo and homeopathiy,..... its much better to increase the amount of money the wonderful pharmeuctical companies make. And the quality of life of drugged up doped out alzheimers patients in nursing homes. Nothing gives me more pleasure than to see a elderly person with their head in their dinner tray, getting another dose of xanax and aricept. You people are blind. I am so sorry for you. I can only wish that by the time any of you possibly get dementia or alzheimers that you get the same treatments you wish on people now. You have completely lost part of the vision of what this disease is. At least my pal mim and I agree, its a disease of the spirit, not just the physical being. But go ahead, dope up your loved ones. I hope when your time comes, you are treated with the same small minded philosophy. |
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Just as I expected--three weeks and there has been no posted comments concerning the British medical journal, Lancet, and its study which showed homeopathic substances to be no better than placebo in treating any disease, and homeopathic research studies to be entirely invalid. I am happy that this ends the discussion because it was getting to be boring.
Again, for those interested, the BBC had an article on-line at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4183916.stm and I would suggest that anyone also check out http://www.homeowatch.org and http://www.quackwatch.org for good references on the fraud that is homeopathy. Dan |
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again, dan I wish you luck if the disease ever hits you- and all the aricept and namenda has all been recalled like most of the other new drugs. by the way check out the book worst pills-bad pills, also go to http://www.fda.gov and look up aricept, and just for fun, google aricept and evergreening. Its too bad I cannot post testimonials and my mothers charting, as it would be amazing to see the difference in her charted behaviors on drugs, and the lack of anything to chart on homeopathic products. Oh but don't listen to me, I am only "one" success fluke story. It really is all placebo....hahah. Good luck bud, I hope you do not end up with the dreaded disease. |
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Hello everyone,
I found this forum today and joined so that I could post about Aricept and Namenda. I've read most of the posts about those two meds and have skipped the off-topic posts. Mother has taken 10mg Aricept after Breakfast for more than 1 1/2 yrs. She takes 15mg Mirtazapine (Remeron) and 5mg Ambien at bedtime. I started her on the sample Namenda about a month before we were taking her to a family reunion. By the time she reached the full dose, 10mg twice a day, she was extremely confused. Because I wasn't sure whether it was the Namenda or stress of the upcoming trip, I discontinued the Namenda. A week or so after the trip, I gradually started the Namenda again and at 5mg twice a day, she again seemed more confused. I cut back to only 5mg once a day after breakfast with the Aricept, and she seems better. One of the other posts mentioned having better results with a lower dosage. If she again gets worse with 10mg, I plan to continue cutting it in half. Am interested in experiences of others with these two meds and the preferred dosages. Thanks. |
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My father has been on 10mg Aricept for several years, but he started acting romantically toward several of the neighborhood women after my mother died a couple of years ago.
We have used the Namenda as sort of a calming agent, but it seems to have added some confussion for him. We originally were using 20mg, but it seemed to be causing some other problems--lack of understanding of the ordinary bodily signals, including any warning that it was getting to be time to consider going to the bathroom. By cutting back to 10mg Namenda, plus the 10mg Aricept, it seems that he has regained some of his basic mental faculties, as well as not being interested in bothering anyone in the neighborhood. |
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My wife has been on Namenda 10mg morning and evening and 10mg Arciept at evening time since 2000, not many side effects.
Artist of the song "The Last Valley" in tribute to my wife in the latter stages of AD. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/7/jimbrian_music.htm (Vocals David Gee) http://www.holyisthelamb.com/faithflash.html (The Last Valley) jimmy.brian@att.net |
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My Daddy is taking each pill in the morning at at night. He has been taking the nemanda only a coupl of weeks. I am not seeing any difference.
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My Mom has memory loss but is still functioning, independent, rides public transit and lives alone. I know this is temporary and she probably will get worse. She is on both Aricept and Namemda and after two weeks, I can see a positive change. She actually remembers what we discussed three days ago. I can't say whether this is the temporary fix for her but it's better than it was a few weeks ago.
Just my .02. Donna |
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How does one determine if the Aricept/Namenda combo helps or hinders? It seems like the side effects and symptoms are the same. My Dad was diagnosed with vascular dementia Jan 2003; has lived in an assisted living facility for 2 years; and started A/N abut a year ago. His caregiver reported to my family that the drugs made him more confused. Actually, she insisted. My sister approved taking him off the drugs about six weeks ago. I live out of town and recently visited, he has declined, he is losing his ability to speak and choose words. Some siblings say, put him back on the meds! Others resist him restarting the drugs. They think the recent decline is a separate medical matter. How do I know? Is it just a guessing game, and in our case, a very expensive guessing game. We try to weigh the pros/cons of the drug benefits, the expense of paying for them now while he is mobile rather than the very expensive care we will need to provide when he is ready for more than assisted living.
We all want to do what is best for Dad, but how to know what is best? |
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DonaLuisa--You hit the nail on the head...I think that this whole disease is a guessing game.
How long did your Dad take the combo of A/N? Have you considered starting him on one and seeing how he functions? When we first started Aricept my SO had bouts of stomach cramps, loose stools, and vivid dreams for a while. We decided to tough it out--changed that time that he takes this medication to night instead of morning--and have been rewarded with what seems to be a lessening of his confusion and no loss in his ability to function. Spoke to my dr. about our situation, and she told me that she felt that Namenda was the best of the two drugs and suggested that we speak to his neurologist about putting him on it. Since that conversation I read the posts by SnoweyLynne. She stated that Namenda caused her to become confused and have decided to just leave things alone. skericheri@yahoo.com |
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Hi, Skeri, Dad started Aricept March 2005, Namenda later that spring, 10 mg each. I am in another town and a sister makes the decisions. I heard that they tried one of the other drugs like Aricept first, it made him sick apparently, so they switched. My brother has asked the caregiver after which drug did he show the confusion (that she considered the side effects) and he didn't receive a straight answer. Sister and caregiver believe Dad is overmedicated, because the amount of prescriptions he takes has tripled in the last several years. In addition, he was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate, which causes him anxiety, too. We're concerned about contraindications, and I need to educate myself as much as possible for when a bunch of us will meet with Dad's doctor for a consultation in the next week or so. I've read many list posts--so many of you are such loving caregivers and family. |
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Skeri, I've noticed that you and others mention you visit multiple doctors. My Dad lives in a small town, just getting him to the doctor is an ordeal (it's my brother's job). Dad sees a GP and an urologist. This may be off topic, and I apologize if I'm posting to the wrong forum, but can you and others address which doctor specialty would be best for VaD/dementia? And how do you coordinate the multiple prescriptions from various doctors? TIA. |
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Hi all. My Mom was just fiagnosed yesterday, and was started on aricept, 5 mg. I see in some of the posts that there is a test? What test is this and what do the scores mean? Is this a test I can do with her?? She and my Dad are trying to stay independent as much as is possible, but he is going blind and she, well, who knows!? Anyways, they won't share much information with me at the moment, and it is difficult. I am the only child in the vicinity, and need to try and stay on top of all this as much as I can. Thanks for any input you may have!
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My Dad just started taking Namenda about two weeks ago. We took him off Aricept because he was not sleeping, getting up, getting dressed thinking someone was waiting for him in his lving room to take him golfing. He was off Aricept for about two months. He seemed to be somewhat confused but now with the Namenda he is much worse - very confused, very nervous. My thoughts are to take him off all meds and allow him/us to face this naturally. There is no quality of life while on these meds as far as I can see. |
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K.Lafferty, this is something I wrote on another thread
I think the value of Alzheimer's medications may be oversold, because there is nothig else. I'm not sure. There are so many contradictory experiences. Bad mental/emotional effects for some. Big improvement for others. No Alzheimer's medication is a valid choice that is often overlooked. The disease itself is progressive and fatal. I think quality of life should always be the goal. That may mean no medications for some people. Jut because it is the only thing available does not mean it is the right thing. |
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Medications of any kind , for any reason, can have adverse effects on some and work perfectly on others. You must always be mindful of this. However, you do need to give most Alzheimer's meds time to work. Sometimes it is two or three weeks before they properly adjust to the patient's body. That is of course, unless the side effects are dangerous.
I do believe if the Alzheimer's meds can be administered successfully they do slow the disease progression. I'll take that any day! Trouble and the Grace to bear it, come in the same package. |
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There are doubts surrounding the use of Aricept and Namenda:
*** From a New York Times report on Johns Hopkins University doctors: At a meeting in late March at Johns Hopkins University, doctors and other health professionals heard Alzheimer's researchers debate the usefulness of the drugs and the prospects of better treatments becoming available any time soon. Some researchers say it may be decades before real progress is made in reducing the toll of the disease. When a frustrated doctor in the audience accused a panel of experts of evading the question of whether the drugs should be prescribed, the auditorium burst into applause. One expert replied that there was just one chance in 10 that the drugs would have an effect and that patients should try them for six to eight weeks and then quit if there was no improvement. A second expert gave the drugs somewhat better odds of helping. A third said to try the drugs for six months. A fourth said, ''The kind of evidence you want may not be available.''... Dr. Finucane, the conference speaker who advocated a six-to-eight-week trial of the drugs, said that most of his patients tried Aricept, the leading drug, but that only 10 percent of them found it worth continuing... ''In my opinion, in 10 years we'll be embarrassed by how much of this stuff we prescribed,'' Dr. Finucane said, adding that he thought hundreds of millions of dollars were being wasted on the drugs. *** From WorstPills.org - recommendations are against taking Aricept and Namenda (search: worstpills.org aricept namenda). *** From Great Britain - The panel advising the National Health Service recommended not dispensing Alzheimer's drugs for new patients because of the low benefit received (search: NICE alzheimer's). This recommendation is being revised to allow Aricept in cases of "moderate severity only" but still bans Namenda because of "insufficient evidence on its clinical benefit for patients with moderately-severe to severe Alzheimer's". Other comments from British doctors: "Alzheimer's drug trials financed by drug companies are often "very seriously flawed." *** For the use of Namenda in mild to moderate Alzheimer's, the FDA rejected the application because two of three studies showed no improvement (search: FDA rejects Namenda). *** Glaxo pharmaceuticals chief says "drugs for Alzheimer's disease work in fewer than one in three patients" (search: alzheimer's drugs Glaxo). And this is coming from someone with a vested interest in the wide use of these drugs. Other articles place the effectiveness rates lower. *** Eleven patients died in a recent Aricept study (search: 11 patients die). *** Side effects of Aricept and Namenda (From About) - Aricept: Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, insomnia, muscle cramps. Less common side effects are headaches and dizziness. Rare side effects are anorexia, gastric or duodenal ulcers, gastro-intestinal haemorrhage, bladder overflow obstruction, liver damage, convulsions, heart problems and psychiatric disturbances. Namenda (memantine): The most common side effects include dizziness, confusion, constipation, headache and skin rash. Less common are, fatigue, back pain, high blood pressure, insomnia, hallucinations, vomiting, shortness of breath. |
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Hi. I'm new to the message board and would like to know what this "memory test" is everyone is talking about. My mother's doctor did not give us any kind of score after our first meeting/ Only a trial package of Aricept and no warnings. Just told us that there are very few side effects, mostly indigestion??? And then only with people who already have this type of problem. Hmmm |
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I'm kinda new here too, but as I was reading I saw that this hadn't been answered yet. I believe that the "memory test" is the cognitive skills test that many doctors are giving these days. It involves a battery of questions like "do you know where you are?", "do you know what day it is?" and on to written things like "can you draw a clock face?" and "can you make the clock hands show 10 o'clock?". I'm sure someone here can probably post a link of the entire test and how it's scored, but I can't seem to find it anywhere. I think the scoring runs from 30 being the "best" down to 1 or 0. Sorry I can't give more details, but it's kind of an answer  Post script: I found this link for what is called a "mini-mental state exam". It doesn't show the test, but it does tell the idea behind the various test segments. MMSE test ~~~~~ "When someone is in your heart, they're never truly gone. They can come back to you, even at unlikely times" -- Posey Benetto in Mitch Albom's "for one more day" |
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You used to be able to get the MMSE (Mini-Mental State Exam) on line. Recently someone took out a copyright and it is hard to find now. NDUKE describes it well enough, you can ask your doctor to administer it. One question was to count backwards by 7's, something I knew would not be a problem for my AD husband. But after '93' he got all mixed up. It was like a veil lifting before my eyes and I saw, in that moment, what the problem was.
Bettyhere http://geocities.com/caregiving4alz todayssr.com - All About Alzheimer's Author of: When the Doctor Says, 'Alzheimer's' |
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Hi, just found this message board, and it's quite interesting. My father is doing worse lately, and wonder if some med change would help. He tried Aricept, Namenda, and Razidyne, but seemed worse on all three (taken and different times.) He was agitated, more confused, and sometimes paranoid. So we took him off of those, and now he is just getting a very worse short term memory. Now, he was getting very depressed lately, so the doctor increased his Paxil. From reading these threads, maybe the Paxil is a bad thing in the elderly/dementia sufferers. What about the drug Exelon, anyone know about that? And would changeing the Paxil to another similar type drug be helpful to him?
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My mom was diagnosed 2 years ago with small vessel, however, since this last episode (or different doctors) they are calling it AlZ. She was placed in a geriatric behavioural unit for two weeks then entered a care facility near me.
I first she was transferred on several meds. Excelon, a couple of anitphsychotics, I can't remember them all...the new doctor changed her to .5 Haldol twice a day, Aricept, and Ambien at night because she was sundowning. At first they gave her Adavent (sp) shots when she was combative..this was so sad to see..and so dangerous because she just wondered around in a stupor..and fell twice. The DC that...and she started doing pretty well...the past few days she is starting to ask when can I get out of here?? Saying "There is nothing wrong with me"...what do I say..have the benefits of the ALZ drugs begun to fail already? By the way, My Great Grandmother had this (although we didn't call it that) my grandmother, and now mom...wow - you know who's next! She can NEVER live alone again, or drive for pete's sake...but do I tell her she has Alzheimer's??? Help me...some days are okay...and then some days are like today...hurtful, depressing, sad. |
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Dear January: Different docs give different meds for AD, it's a lot of 'try this, try that, and hope something works'. Some do very well for long periods of time, others show no change, or they work only briefly. You have to start making things up to keep her as calm and serene as possible. When she asks about 'getting out of here', you lie and tell her you'll talk to the doc and maybe it will be tomorrow. Whatever words work. It's hard at first, but we all learn that there's no reasoning, no arguing, no being direct and honest because it will just cause friction and you cannot win. As long as she is combative, she has to be on some drug and it's best for you if she is in a facility. AD patients have been known to become very violent and hurt people. Telling someone if they have AD is a very personal decision and often causes problems with others who agree or disagree. Talk to her doctor, see what his experience has been, maybe others here on the list will tell you what worked for them. But the final decision to tell or not tell should be made by her primary caregiver because that's who has to live with it. It sounds as if your Mom is pretty far along, she likely will not understand what AD is, or will soon forget. No need to tell her all the details, it will only terrify her if she understands. You can truthfully tell her she has a memory problem and the doc is helping her with that. I do not mean to be harsh, I wish I had some magic answers for everyone, but I don't. Go to my website and download 'What You Need to Know'. It's easy to understand, no medical jargon, just to help you get started, and keep coming here, someone will always have a reply.
www.geocities.com/caregiving4alz Bettyhere http://geocities.com/caregiving4alz todayssr.com - All About Alzheimer's Author of: When the Doctor Says, 'Alzheimer's' |
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A question appears below.
Mom has been dx'd with senile dementia of the Alzhmr Type since 1998 (SDAT), a year or 2 following symptoms we saw. Now profoundly non-verbal but uses facial expressions. Now dually eligible Medicare/Medicaid living in SNF with b.i.d. Namenda at 10mg (not 20) and b.i.d. Exelon at 3mg. As a "fall risk" she is confined to wheel chair and bed. At a light 83 lbs, she just turned 90 and if told so repeatedly, seems to understand "birthday". Enjoys car rides and little children. We cannot guess if her progression has been or is mitigated by the double-barreled AD meds. We don't think there are side effects so we continue with these two meds. Question: A recent assessment at the nursing home has apparently led to insurance cut-off of Tier 2 Namenda. Does anyone here understand the process that determines what medications should be dropped? What steps shall I pursue and with whom to request authorization to re-instate the Namenda? It appears arbitrary to judge that the glutamate pathways (Tier 2) are not as important as the action of the acetylcholine inhibitor enzyme (Tier 3). Do we know how many clinical investigations are underway to assess the potential complementary efficacy of the combination in severe cases AD? Thank you for any citations, insights about families' influence on types, doses, frequency of these medications. Learning Son Dave in Michigan |
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Hi Dave, I'm no expert by far. Please listen to the experts, but my opinion is; (as in the case of my Dad), he has tried Namenda, Aricept, and Razadyne. All at separate times, and not close together. He seemed worse when on them, and also more agitated and confused. Since there was no improvement, we figured why continue these meds? The dr. also advised that some people do not respond to the Alz drugs.
Nancy |
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Thanks Nancy,
I'm able to distill my question to this: What is the process by which the insurer decides what meds are efficacious, independent of input from the attending physician? That's the question. Background behind it is that the family is happy with the meds. Mom's brain chemistry isn't like some other AD brains that seem predisposed to belligerence and combative behavior. Thus, our own mystery that pleases Forest Labs, Pfizer, et al, is that to prove the negative, one must withdraw the med while simultaneously introducing the new risk that the intervention was having favorable effects if continued. As I see it, families are reluctant to run that experiment so that the pills, beneficial or useless, continue to be purchased, "just in case they are flattening the rate of progression". If acetylcholine inhibitors were already demonstrated somewhat effective in early stage SDAT, and memantine effective in moderate or later SDAT, why would the Exelon script be retained for a mid-late stage nursing home resident, while canceling the memantine? Cheers. Learning Son Dave in Michigan |
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I'm new to this, as my father just started Aricept one week ago. He is 88, and up until a year or so ago was clicking on all cylinders. Recently, seemed so tentative, walked with a shuffle, had trouble remembering the correct word, seemed to zone out a lot, etc. After 4 days of 5 mg of aricept, the change is unbelievable! Full stride when walking, attention span is back, frustration level way down, energy level way up!
So far, I am a huge fan of Aricept and so thankful that it has been prescribed. However long this stage lasts, it is a much welcomed bonus. |
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Are there standard medications for AZ? My husband is taking 10mg of the Aricept, but he's also taking Lexapro and Risperdal. Is there actually a normal regiment of drugs that allievate some of the symptoms of Alzheimer's? Sleeping seems to be the biggest problem. I took him to a physocoligist(sp?) yesterday and he thinks a higher dose of the Risperdal could help sleep and the hallucinations.
Some of you have been dealing with this longer, what is your opinion? Still lucky! |
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my mother is on Aricept and Namenda and is in middle stages alzheimers. She is extremely sleepy most of the time even in the morning. I'm trying to figure out with the help of DRs. whether it could be the Aricept or is it just the progression of the disease. Another possiblity is heart issues she has a significant heart murmor and has thickening of the aortic valve. It is not easy to figure out what the cause for the fatigue because there are so many factors. I am hesitant to discontinue the Aricept because I do think it has contributed to her having a slower progression of the disease. She was diagnosed 8 years ago and she still knows who I am and is relatively oriented to reality. She is not having hallucinations. just this sleepiness problem. I'll post again when i get more answers. Good luck, Rose
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I'm hoping I may have discovered an answer (for now) for my husband's sleeplessness. He has been taking (2) Risperdal tablets per day, one in the morning and one at night. I checked the printout we always get from the pharmacy and it doesn't say when the pills should be taken. I waited for this Memorial Day weekend and started giving him both pills before he gets his regular nightly dose. And for the last two nights, he has been sleeping like a baby. This is probably only a short term "fix", but for now it's working.
J.Gilbert Still lucky! |
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