Hi my dad has been taking aricept for 3/4 years now on 10 mg he normally just sees a memory nurse every 6 months when they telephone him at hes house and send a nurse out to ask questions and do the test we never see the same person twice they are always in a hurry and are quite patronzing ive already had to make a big complaint already 2 years ago about one of them .there is no other medical support regarding my dads memory and hes. Ot under a consultant he did first have hes one and only scan 3 years and has never been officially diagnosed but because of hes memory they put him on aricept under the assumption that hes got a dementia of some sort hes scan did not detet any dementia in his brain ive been told it doesnt always ? Still not sure but my question is can the memory clinic stop the aricept my dads getting via repeat prescription if they test him again and realise hes memory has snowballed which i beleive it has in the last year could the clinic nurse say its not working and deceide to take him off they tried 2 years ago to lower the dose that was when i complanied as we were not consulted she just went into boots the chemist and changed it !! Any help please !
Can the memory clinic stop giving my dad aricept
- Thread starter deepetshopboy
- Start date
Aricept/Donepezil is more or less the only medication for dementia, and only people with Alzheimer's usually get it prescribed. No one knows how effective it is or for how long but the consensus now seems to be not to discontinue it as it could cause a sudden downturn, at least that's what I've been told by a Memory Clinic consultant. My OH was on it until his death.
Thanks for your reply ive been told though i cant remember if it was the dr or memory nurse that if they felt it wasnt working they would not give it as its expensive my thoughts are that if he did go off it i think it would be a complete downturn for him I beleive thats the only thing keeping him from going completely off the scales although slowly hes getting worse month by month one week it will be hes forgotten to use the remote the next day it will be the kettle he will try and blame it for not working when theres nothing wrong with it
I'm sorry, I don't have experience of this medication as my mother was diagnosed too far into the disease for it to be useful, but know of some people who are taken off it when the dementia has progressed, and others who stay on it for their lifetime.
One the awful things about dementia is that it is progressive and there will be deterioration. All we can do, is the best we can do. I'd encourage you to make a list of your questions and concerns and raise them with the doctor's/consultants/Memory Clinic. Best wishes.
One the awful things about dementia is that it is progressive and there will be deterioration. All we can do, is the best we can do. I'd encourage you to make a list of your questions and concerns and raise them with the doctor's/consultants/Memory Clinic. Best wishes.
When my wife was put on Aricept/Donepezil we asked the pharmacist how long treatment usually lasted and she said that in her experience it was given for life. The information leaflet that comes with the pills does say that it should only be stopped when told to by your doctor and that the benefits will gradually fade once stopped.
Oh ok thanks for the replys
Its a nightmare this dementia i wpuldnt wish it on anyone
Can someone tell me also if they have any experience of scans to diagnose dementia or is it possible to have dementia/alzeimers and for it not to show on the scan ?. my dad he was a very heavy drinker and hes always hoarded stuff and been eccentric so im just wondering if he's actually got dementia or is it thats he's getting old and he's damaged hes brain although im 80 per cent sure hes got it going by the information and the other experience of posters on these i can identify with everything
Its a nightmare this dementia i wpuldnt wish it on anyone
Can someone tell me also if they have any experience of scans to diagnose dementia or is it possible to have dementia/alzeimers and for it not to show on the scan ?. my dad he was a very heavy drinker and hes always hoarded stuff and been eccentric so im just wondering if he's actually got dementia or is it thats he's getting old and he's damaged hes brain although im 80 per cent sure hes got it going by the information and the other experience of posters on these i can identify with everything
The reality is: if it looks like dementia it probably is. It really doesn't matter which one it is, you have to deal with the results. I would push back against stopping the script. Just because he might be losing ground on the tests (the normal reason for stopping it) doesn't mean it isn't working at all.
Many people have more than one cause for their dementia. Your father might well have ad plus one or more of the other 200 odd causes. In your place, I would push back hard about having the script stopped. They feel it's not working? Ask them if they can state it's not working. A feeling isn't a valid reason to stop medication, nor, frankly is the cost which is pretty low compared to many other drugs. Don't let them talk you into a trial withdrawal either: it's pretty common knowledge that even if they reinstate the meds people don't regain lost ground.
Many people have more than one cause for their dementia. Your father might well have ad plus one or more of the other 200 odd causes. In your place, I would push back hard about having the script stopped. They feel it's not working? Ask them if they can state it's not working. A feeling isn't a valid reason to stop medication, nor, frankly is the cost which is pretty low compared to many other drugs. Don't let them talk you into a trial withdrawal either: it's pretty common knowledge that even if they reinstate the meds people don't regain lost ground.
