Aricept

[suze]

effectiveness of drugs

Hi all
I am intersted in this thread as my mother started taking Reminyl about 6 weeks ago. Her dose was doubled two weeks ago. I am afraid that I do not think any difference has been made so far, which is very disappointing.

I wonder if the drug were prescribed a lot earlier things might be different. Mum obviously had dementia 18 months or so ago but was only diagnosed in August. She is 79.

I had hoped the drug might make her less emotional and clearer about who my Dad is (she variously thinks he is the gardener or has been away for years). Has anyone had a relative on these drugs which did show an improvement after the two months suggested?

 

[Linda Mc]

My husband started on Aricept 5mg just over two years ago. After the first dose he was violently sick ( we had been told to take it with the evening meal) I read the leaflet that came with the medication and that said to take at bedtime so did that the next night and no problems since.

After three weeks the difference was amazing, he was brighter and more alert, also coped better with MMSE. The consultant commented on the improvement.

He stayed on 5mg for 14 months and as his score had dropped the dose was increased to 10mg. He stayed pretty much the same for 6 months but in recent months has deteriorated MMSE score now 13.

I really feel without Aricept he would be in a much worse condition, but realise it is not the same for everyone.

Hope our story helps.

Linda

 

[Lynne]

Update (Oct)

I contributed briefly to this thread back in June 06, just after Mum started to take Aricept (5mg), so I just thought I'd give you my experience since then for anyone looking for views on Aricept. Obviously every person is different and then again some people don't actually see a doctor or get a diagnosis until they are at quite an advanced stage, so we are not all 'starting' from the same point anyway.

My mum is 87 years old, still early stage, able to be left on her own safely, so far, and reasonably sensible. She's been showing symptoms of short-term memory loss and mild confusion for about 3 or 4 years, some of which I put down (mistakenly, I now think) to grief and depression after the death of her sister. Those symptoms got markedly worse during the past 18 months, and she started losing things, hiding things ("putting them somewhere safe"!!) and then forgetting where she had put them. Good job she only has a 2-bedroomed bungalow to strip-search! I know most of her favourite places now. She never knows what day it is, however many times I answer the question, and frequently gets the month &/or year wrong too.

Mum was formally diagnosed at the end of May (MMSE score 21) and was prescribed 5mg Aricept per day at that time. She has been told that she has "memory problems" without Alzheimer's or Dementia being mentioned by name. Because she has a medical history of a peptic ulcer, the consultant emphasised to me that she should take it after a meal, to avoid a stomach upset or nausea (which is a known side effect). With the exception of once when she hadn't been eating properly (when she was sick after she'd taken it) she's been fine with taking it. At first she took it after breakfast, but frequently commented on feeling 'woolly-headed, muzzy, can't wake up properly' during the day, so now she takes it after her evening meal, which seems to be better.

Her 2nd MMSE test, 10 weeks after the 1st one, was again scored at 21 & at the 3rd one on 2nd Oct. she scored 25! However, it was a different doctor and he gave her hints & helped her more; whilst I would LOVE to believe she had improved, I don't think she has.
Aricept slows down the deterioration, but you can't re-make those connections in the brain once they have broken down. However, I do think she's holding her own for now. My own opinion is that Aricept needs at least 2 months to get into the system.

Unfortunately she fell & broke her arm 4 weeks ago (Doh!! ) so that has thrown a whole new set of physical difficulties into the pot. Prior to her fall, she was reasonably fit (for 87) but now she has slowed down quite a lot, mainly with a new lack of confidence, and fear of falling again. Understandable, but ... frustrating

I hope this may be useful.

Regards

 

[hairwench]

Hi All,
my husband is 59, he has been diagnosed for about 4 years.
He was put onto Exelon straight away which seemed to help, but probably in the last 6 months has gone downhill.
We started seeing a new consultant who was very down to earth and I felt much more comfortable talking to him and probably opened up more than on previous appointments, Peter also seemed much more relaxed when we went to see him and didn't get himself so worked up.
He suggested giving Ebixa a try as he said thats what he would do if it was a member of his own family, somehow this gave me confidence.
Unfortunately no miracles have happened ( no I'm not really that naive ) he hasn't got any better but he hasn't got any worse, so we are hanging in there.
I know different things work for different people so it is difficult to give advice, all I can say is that I dread the day that they say he has to come off the drugs all together, I'm sure I will feel as if they are giving up on him, maybe thats wrong, who knows, not me thats for certain ???????????????

 

[connie]

Please, please don't think that you are 'giving up'

I have recently had to make the decision to reduce Lionel's level of Excelon.
After 5 years it seems that it could be causing him more mobilty problems than expected.

O.K. (no more than I had already realised). However, his daughter, who only visits every 3 months, stated "You must not mess about with his mind drugs, I have just had a very enjoyable visit with my dad, and his humour was still intact.

Did she stop to ask "was her dad happy with the fact that someone (usually me) had to put him on and off the toilet and wipe his bottom. Had she ever comforted him in the middle of the night, when having wet the bed (NOT THROUGH INCONTINENCE< BUT THROUGH MOBILITY PROBLEMS)? and so the list goes on.

I will never give up on my Lionel, but I will not make him suffer THE KNOWING OF WHAT IS HAPPENING TO HIM. Viscious circle I realise, and only my own small opinion.

 

[hairwench]

Thanks for that Connie, ITS ALL SO FRUSTRATING, and it just shows that no one outside the immediate care circle really knows the truth of what goes on and what is involved, least of all someone who only visits once every few months !
Giving up isn't on my agenda, I think it is just the pressure and guilt rearing its ugly head

 

[suze]

aricept/reminyl

Hi again

After two months on Reminyl I have an awful feeling that my 79 year old mother is even more confused: she very often does not
recognise my Dad as her husband and talks about 'the other one', 'the man who does the chores' etc and even thinks my borhter and I have different fathers! It is very dispiriting. Does anyone else now why sufferers pick the person closest to them to be confused about? Is it common?