Aricept has been stopped

[Wends]

Can anyone make some suggestions? My Dad has just had his Aricept stopped as they say he has deteriorated too far. He has worked all his life and NEVER claimed any benefits, he takes no other medication.

The home where he is watched him go down hill last time he was taken off them. I don't know how to go about pleading for him to be kept on them or who to plead with.

I would be grateful for any advice that anyone can give me.

 

[Vonny]

Hi Wends and welcome to Talking Point.

Could you arrange to see your dad's consultant, perhaps with a representative from the home who could say how your dad deteriorated when aricept was removed last time? I think it would have to be the consultant rather than the GP.

NICE guidelines recommend that only people who score between 10 and 20 on the mmse (memory test) benefit sufficiently from aricept, but if the care home can testify how lack of aricpet affects your dad he MAY agree to continue prescribing it.

Good luck

Vonny xx

 

[connie]

Dear Wends, welcome to TP.

He has worked all his life and NEVER claimed any benefits, he takes no other medication.

Putting aside the monetary issue, I am assuming that the care home are not the ones deciding to stop medication. Surely this would have had to come from your father's GP or consultant.

I would be inclined to start there, not forgetting to remind whoever how much he deteriorated last time medication was removed.

Of course it could well be that his doctor has assessed and calculated that the tablets are no longer working. I am afraid that it is down to asking questions.

 

[kal d]

Arricept

HI, my mum is on arricept and before they prescribed it they did make it plain that eventually it will be stopped as it does no good at at all if she deteriorates they only give it to people who have mild to moderate Alzheimer so every couple of months we have to go back to the hospital so they can test her again to see if she has deteriorated