aricept

[myheadisinaspin]

hi mums started on aricept and shes constantly being sick, i know its one of the side effects etc, what i want to ask id does it settle down, how long shall we leave her taking it before we decide its not suitable etc. mum wants to stop it, she says she dont want to feel this way she would rather not take it. have others had problems when first strarting it.

 

[myheadisinaspin]

also point out she is also throwing her other meds up which she was fine before

 

[Grannie G]

I would phone your mother`s doctor for advice.
Ask if s/he has any idea how long this sickness can be expected to last for and if most people who experience it find it stops eventually.

 

[susiesue]

My husband has been on Aricept for two years and never has been sick - are you sure it is the Aricept?
Love

 

[myheadisinaspin]

not sure really open to suggestions, all i know she has constanly vomited since starting it. did you watch the kevin programme, i was interested to see how aricept had improved that gentlemans health etc, has it nade a difference to your hubbys life since taking it

 

[Skye]

Bonnie, please go back to your GP or consultant, whoever prescribes the Aricept. Your mum should not be vomiting like this, and it may be a side-effect. Whatever the cause, it should be treated.

It could be that she will be given either Reminyl or Exelon, they do the same job as Aricept, and some people can tolerate one but not another.

Please get her checked.

 

[jimbo 111]

At first my wife was sick every time she took these tablets
She was also taking other medication ,including a tablet to stop her being sick at mealtimes
I started to give her a sickness tablet at the same time as the Aricept and she stopped being sick.
I mentioned this to the doctor and he said that he could nt prove that the sick tab was anwering the problem because it was quite common for aricept to cause sickness when first prescibed 'but this usualy wore off.he also said taking the sick tab at the same time did not have any adverse effects. so I have continued to give them
Perhaps it would be worthwhile asking your doctors advise.
JIMBO 111

 

[susiesue]

i was interested to see how aricept had improved that gentlemans health etc, has it nade a difference to your hubbys life since taking it

Yes I did watch the programme and I must say it made Aricept appear like a 'wonder drug' for that man and the improvements he has had!

I really can't say whether it has improved my husband's life - I just don't know how to compare it with how he would have been without it! Obviously it is unlike for example, blood pressure tablets, where you can see the blood pressure reduce. With dementia/Alzheimers it is so hard to know how bad things could have been. I can definitely say we haven't seen an improvement such as the man on the programme - I wish we had!!!
Having said that my husband's problem has always been words and speech and that definitely has not improved.

Hope you manage to sort out your mum's medication soon.

Love

 

[myheadisinaspin]

finally got on phone to consultant and he made the decision for us, mum is to stop aricept, allow a week or so and try another. mum is adament she is trying no more, but doc persuaded her to try another as not all suit people. hopefully mum will feel better soon. so we will wait and see. thanks for your help.

 

[Skye]

Well done, Bonnie.

I hope your mum manages to tolerate one of the other drugs. I don't want to arouse false expectations, but John had the same dramatic improvement on Reminyl as the man had on Aricept. He too got his driving licence back for another three years.

The drugs don't work for everyone, but they're definitely worth trying.

 

[myheadisinaspin]

thats wonderful, we should be fortunate i suppose that we are abvle to access these drugs in our areas as others cant can they. lets hope the other drug works, if not then onwards and upwards, face that when time comes.

 

[JPG1]

Bonnie,

I don't know whether your Mum is taking any other medications, and I'm not a medic, but I have learned this much over the years, so I offer it only as something to keep in mind:

Anyone who is taking any regular medication, and who then starts to vomit constantly for whatever reason, must be checked out by their GP/consultant/whoever prescribes their regular medications. Because the efficacy of their medications is severely reduced by any vomiting.

It's worth considering: constant vomiting, as you describe it, may reduce the effectiveness of any other medication being taken.

The tablet Jimbo111 mentions may be the same kind of Antiemetic given to people having chemotherapy.

Just my thoughts on your Mum's problem.

 

[susiesue]

Hi Hazel

Well done, Bonnie.

John had the same dramatic improvement on Reminyl as the man had on Aricept. He too got his driving licence back for another three years.

The drugs don't work for everyone, but they're definitely worth trying.

Did Reminyl help John's word/communication problem? - I am just wondering whether I ought to ask to have David changed from Aricept to Reminyl and perhaps maybe I could actually see an improvement, which so far I haven't on Aricept.

 

[Countryboy]

Reply to Hazel

Hi Hazel Great news to hear your husband has got his licence back for another three years , DVLA has granted me a 12 month licence for past nine years every year prior to its renewal I write and phone dvla asking the licence to be extended to three years they said because I am taking Aricept , Hazel sorry I’m confused you signed as wife & carer don’t get that surly a person capable to drive shouldn’t need a carer
In case you think I’m being a pain I was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2000 & after MRI scans in 2002 & 2003 which identifies brain damage to Frontal-Lobes , when the time comes I need care thats the day I will send my licence back to dvla

 

[Skye]

I don't think so, Sue, though it may have slowed the deterioration.

What it did was improve his mood, awareness, confidence, to the point where he was able to enjoy socialising in spite of his deficiencies in vobabulary, go out on his own, and as I said, drive.

We actually went on holiday to Italy a couple of weeks after he started taking it. I was worried that he he might have an adverse reaction, but in fact he was brilliant, going off for walks on his own in a strange town, with a language he didn't know. Such a change in two weeks!

 

[Sandy]

Hi Sue,

Did Reminyl help John's word/communication problem? - I am just wondering whether I ought to ask to have David changed from Aricept to Reminyl and perhaps maybe I could actually see an improvement, which so far I haven't on Aricept.

You might want to take a look at a post I made in reply to a question from Norms:

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/talkingpoint/discuss/showthread.php?t=15536

Take care,

Sandy

 

[susiesue]

Sandy, Thanks for that - very interesting, specially the bit about if someone comes off the drug they would go back to where they would have been without it!! - bit scary that.....

Hazel, thanks - it was the driving bit that caught my eye!! - David is still very outgoing and sociable - despite the fact that no-one has a clue what he is talking about - me included!! As I am sure I have mentioned before he still travels alone with his Oyster Card on the train and so far he seems to have no problem getting around and back again.

I think I will probably leave things as they are - quite honestly if David started driving again I think I would be very nervous......mind you I do miss having my 'chauffeur' when we go out for an evening and I now can't have a drink!!!

Thanks again to you both

Love

 

[Skye]

Sandy, I had missed your earlier post.

Just to add, John has PPA, which is a variant of FTD. He was prescribed Reminyl because he was wrongly diagnosed as AD initially -- and it worked for him!

As for coming off medication, I think what you say is correct, and there may be a dramatic downturn if a person is taken off it early. However, if it is continued to end-stage, when it has ceased to have an effect, there will not be a downturn (at least there wasn't in John's case.

That's why it's normal to take someone off gradually, with the proviso that treatment will be reinstated if there is a downturn, as this would show that the drug was still working.

And another reason why NICE guidelines are wrong. A score of 10 is much too early.

 

[Lynne]

Aricept experience

My Mum did experience a little nausea when she first started taking Aricept, but her Dr. gave her a product called Omeprazol which acts as a buffer. Also we switched from morning to evening, and she took it straight after her evening meal.

May be worth asking Dr. about Omeprazol?

Best wishes

 

[Duncanj]

Aricept and loneliness

My mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's in February. She was immediately prescribed Aricept and suffered badly with sickness. After checking her medication, we discovered that she was overdosing by doubling and sometimes trebling the dose. Now we have a system of sorts for ensuring she takes the correct amount and she's not having any side affects at all.

It's very hard to tell whether the aricept is having a positive impact on Mum, though. In many ways, she seems to be coping well. She's living alone (my father died two weeks before the diagnosis) and although she can't drive and has lost that part of her independence, she's in reasonable spirits. But, and it's a big but, she seems increasingly dependent for company on my sister and her family who live close by. It's now a habit for her to have every main meal round at my sister's and we don't know how to break that habit without upsetting Mum. She's lonely, missing my father (as we all are) and the last thing we want to do is increase that loneliness but the rest of the family need space as well. Any suggestions for how we can break the pattern would be very welcome.