coming off aricept...

[gdschillins]

So they are taking my mom off the aricept. Odly it took 3 months for it to even start working yet it has only taken a few days for her to start slipping again. She is still admint that nothing is wrong. Monday she asked me 3 times what day it was and where was she going. Even the doctors thought it would take at least a week to kick in. Right now she's down on 5mgs and from there they'll take her off completely. We know that before the aricept mom was between stages 2 & 3. To be honest though, she was so much calmer before she "remembered" it all. The question now is, will she qualify for a alf or a nh by the end of two weeks? I don't mean to sound ungrateful for the doctors allowing my mom up to "remebering lane" but it's been a rollercoaster up there and I believe once we place her it's not going to be such a terrible thing---I pray anyway!

[Turquoise]

It's strange that they tell us Aricept can't bring back any lost functions, just hold off some of the others. But I know people who have improved on it. My MIL wasn't one of them. The side effects were worse, fecal incontinence was horrible. There just isn't anything they have right now that will really help them. Most of what is out there is experimentation.
Turquoise

[Beginning]

A few years ago we were on vacation, and DH forgot his Aricept. I was panicked, thinking that he was going to immediately get a lot worse. We went to a walk-in clinic to get a short-term prescription for it. When I returned home and spoke with his doctor, the doctor told us never to worry about missing Aricept for a week or two since it takes awhile for it to leave a person's system.

The normal progession of AD is a roller coaster, with some level places, possibly a very few short-term improvements, and then drop-offs again. I don't think anyone knows if the drugs actually do much or not. The research supposedly says that the disease would progress faster if it wasn't for the drugs...but who knows? Columbia's nursing home calculator is a pretty good tool (do a search for "predicting time to nursing home admission").

DH also had bowel problems with Aricept and then Reminyl. He seemed to level off with Namenda for a few months, which is prescribed for moderate AD. In stage 5-6, they've now taken him off both drugs.

[MIMPHISTO]

I'm reading the post and there's some myths to clear up. I've been on the board for over 2 years and seldom post anymore, but working with AD and having family with AD takes a lot for me to want to post. Some subjects provoke me to do so.

I want to address if the RX's work, they do most recent NIH (national institutes of health) published this week states Aricept works, works well. But also in these studies it warns and in others that taking someone off Aricept causes a decline and they never return to normal functionality. This is very true, so one should stay on it from diagnosis to death. According to Howard Feldman, MD the foremost expert on AD (more publications on AD and research / practice for 30 years than any other) in the world recommends this to all patients.

Combination therapy is advisable as well Aricept w/ Namenda is great as it works on two parts of the brain and maintains functionality. No drug claims the person gets better they maintain there abilities with slower decline. Understanding the drugs effects in simple terms is the meds boost the good chemicals that send signals through the brain and nervous system and block the bad chemicals.
in my opinion, some meds is better than none as moments slip just one moment for a little longer, folding the close, remembering my name, remembering my childs name or that of their great grand child is worth that little pill.

If you also want a good read it discusses the meds and AD care, it's short at 140 pages, Alzheimer's Essentials (Gordeau / Hillier)

Good luck and

[ToBeFreeToRoam]

Hi to all,

Just wanted to add a little here. My dad is in a nh now. he is 80 and has alzheimers and parkinsons. I believe that he has had alz. for about 10 or more years.

He was taking aricept when he was at home. He was taken off this drug by my mom. My mom and dad thought that it might be causing him to "see" and "feel" bugs in their house.

Well, I do not know if this contributed to him goin downhill and ending up in the hospital and then nh. But, in the nh a little over 3 mo., they give him aricept and namenda for his alz. and sinemet for his parkinsons plus a few other meds. I do think that this combination for alz (the 2 drugs), does help my dad. He is better, but not as good as before the cutting off of the aricept by my mom.

Hope this helps someone.

Love, Wannabe