She is 82 yrs old and she was getting a little forgetful. Her Nurse practitioner added flexeril to a low dose of Ativan for sleep. After about 3 Nights of this, She was so confused she didn't know what she was doing and took 3 days of her morning meds and night meds in one day. We took her to the hospital and she spent 2 nights and thought she was in a hotel with room service. When we took her home, she did get better. A doctor put her on Aricept while in the hospital. Now at home (14 days later) she thinks everything in her house is dirty. She is a clean freak and cannot sleep at night. I think it is the Aricept because these two things are side effects listed. My sister and I see after her and I want to take her off of this for a few days to see if this improves. But I cannot talk my sister into it. We agree on all things that concern Mom or we don't do them. Help! Any advice????

Rosey---Welcome to the forums. This portion our forum is not the most popular section and you will probably receive few responses. Your quandary is one that has been experienced by many. You might consider reposting this in the Caregiver forum or doing a search on the words 'Aricept and discontinue'.

It is a shame that you and your sister are in disagreement over discontinuing your mother's Aricept. I can understand your sister's reluctance. There just are not a whole lot of treatment options and those Aricept commercials look so nice. Its track record for slowing down cognitive losses is dubious. Many individuals cannot tolerate the medication. At best taking Aricept is like applying a band aid to a hemorrhage.

Personally...I would discontinue the medication to see if your mother's problems improve...but...You might consider a compromise. Change the time that Aricept is taken. (If it is taken at night change to morning).

Yes, I guess the point to research is whether Aricept actually does anything at all to halt the progression of the disease. I have not read anywhere that it does. However, there is another AD drug, Namenda (menantine) that has shown promise in not only treating symptoms, but also slowing progression.

I read somewhere, but can't find it now, that apple juice may be just as effective as Aricept. The spice sage may have a similar effect, but I don't know if the effect lasts as long.

If you are looking at drugs that have been shown to actually slow the progression, research Enbrel, Desferral, and possibly lithium. Herbs that show promise are curcumin and cinnamon. Out in the backwaters of "alternative medicine" are reports from those who perform intravenous EDTA chelation therapy that this treatment is effective.