Aricept

[Optomistic]

My husband has early stage Alzheimers he was diaognosed 6 weeks ago. He has been taking Aricept 5mg for 12 days and i have seen a real change in him. His confidence has returned and he can concentrate on doing crosswords and playing on his x box again. Has anybody else had these kind of results.

We are waiting for the mental health nurses to visit and give us another prescription.

I would like to be in touch with other people in the same position who care for somebody with Alzheimers.

 

[Kevinl]

My wife has been taking it for the past 2 years or so. Initially it did seem to make here a lot more alert. Although it has not halted the decline certainly slowed it down I don't want to think were we'd be at now without it. After a couple of months on 5mg they upped it to 10mg and went onto the generic version of Aricept which is called Donepezil, so far so good.
K

 

[chris53]

Hello Optomistic, so pleased your husband has been responsive to Aricept, my mum was put on this the end of 2011 and it did make a noticeable difference, she was started first on 5mg to see if there were any bad side effects, it was then increased to 10mg and she is still on them, in truth i don't know how she would be now without them, sadly for so many people it can make matters worse or not work at all, so very much a leap of faith there
This link below may be of help to you.
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/c...erviceCode=11997&branchCode=12646&areaBC=NONW

Take care
Chris

 

[pamann]

Hello Optomistic my husband has been on Aricept for 15mths he was so much better from doing nothing to almost back to normal, unfortunatly the last 6mnths he has deteriated, l was told by the Dr. It could last for up to 5yrs. I do hope it works well for your husband. ♥♥♥

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[malomm]

Mmmm. Not so sure of the benefits myself. My wife, who is mid stage Alzheimers/vascular dementia; but only recently properly diagnosed; has been on 5 mg. of Pfizer Aricept for the last 28 days, and has to continue thus until end of October, before a further memory clinic visit. Her memory has certainly not improved, but probably couldn't worsen anyway. Her obsessions and paranoia about money and property, and hiding stuff away, or putting things into tightly knotted plastic bags, is I think geting worse. Her general demeanour, when she is in a 'normal' activity phase, is about the same. Fortunately she is very fit physically speaking considering her age (82) but therein lie the potential dangers of trying to attempt things she's actually forgotten how to do properly. She washes/dresses/toilets herself quite efficiently, can still cook a very simple recipe; but tends to use coffee grounds instead of salt, or use them as washing up detergent. I guess I'm going to have to get her through the entire 90 day 5 mg. phase before making a definitive judgement; if I can get through it myself that is
keep smiling,
malomm

 

[VickyG]

My husband has early stage Alzheimers he was diaognosed 6 weeks ago. He has been taking Aricept 5mg for 12 days and i have seen a real change in him. His confidence has returned and he can concentrate on doing crosswords and playing on his x box again. Has anybody else had these kind of results.

We are waiting for the mental health nurses to visit and give us another prescription.

I would like to be in touch with other people in the same position who care for somebody with Alzheimers.

Hi Optimistic,
Glad that you are getting some good results with Aricept. Mum had them for a short time, whilst waiting for her official diagnosis, was too late for her though and she never got any good results, just nasty side effects. It's different for everyone i guess, but for now, at least your hubby is having positive effects.
Vicky x

 

[Trisha4]

My husband has early stage Alzheimers he was diaognosed 6 weeks ago. He has been taking Aricept 5mg for 12 days and i have seen a real change in him. His confidence has returned and he can concentrate on doing crosswords and playing on his x box again. Has anybody else had these kind of results.

We are waiting for the mental health nurses to visit and give us another prescription.

I would like to be in touch with other people in the same position who care for somebody with Alzheimers.

My husband was put on Donepezil (Aricept) when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2012. I felt it held deterioration off for the first 6 months. Since then he has deteriorated slowly so I think the medication is probably slowing things down.

 

[Yanni]

My husband was put on Donepezil (Aricept) when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2012. I felt it held deterioration off for the first 6 months. Since then he has deteriorated slowly so I think the medication is probably slowing things down.

This has been my experience too, but it's difficult to measure anything like this.

 

[Scarlett123]

My husband was put on Donepezil (Aricept) when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2012. I felt it held deterioration off for the first 6 months. Since then he has deteriorated slowly so I think the medication is probably slowing things down.

My husband was first prescribed Aricept over 7 years ago, and it had a positive effect for a good 2 years. The Alzheimer's deterioration slowed right down, and we were able to have a reasonably contented life.

Things started to get worse, slowly at first, and then quite rapidly, and was exacerbated by his first heart attack. It certainly helped him, in the first couple of years, but of course, no 2 people are the same. I wish you and your hubby well.

 

[Trisha4]

This has been my experience too, but it's difficult to measure anything like this.

I agree measurement is impossible. We don't know how things would be without medication.

 

[Trisha4]

My husband was first prescribed Aricept over 7 years ago, and it had a positive effect for a good 2 years. The Alzheimer's deterioration slowed right down, and we were able to have a reasonably contented life.

Things started to get worse, slowly at first, and then quite rapidly, and was exacerbated by his first heart attack. It certainly helped him, in the first couple of years, but of course, no 2 people are the same. I wish you and your hubby well.

Thanks Scarlett. My thoughts are with you now.

 

[Optomistic]

Arecept

Thanks for all your replies it makes me feel better reading the different results people have had. I know everybody is different im hoping it slows things down for awhile so we can enjoy doing things still.

My only problem at the moment is getting another prescription we are waiting for a visit from mental health nurses. Nobody has contacted us yet i dont want them to run out.

 

[pamann]

Hello optomistic go to your GP and get Aricept, thats where l get them for my husband, you don't want to run out ♥♡♥

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[malomm]

Light at the end of the Tunnel?

'morning all, my wife is in mid stage AZ, but only quite recently fully diagnosed.
She is about 35 days into a 90 day course of Aricept. At the end of October her neurologist will monitor the results. Earlier in this thread I think I said I couldn't see any change; if you'd have asked me 48 hours ago I would have said 'no change'. But then yesterday morning and this morning 2 events lead me to think maybe, just maybe, something is going on for the better in that poor confused head of hers. Yesterday morning, as usual, I reminded her it was Sunday, in case she wanted to go to church. Normally doesn't know day/month/year, or remember anything that happened more than 65 seconds ago. She replied 'wasn't it last Sunday that I came home early from church because I didn't feel well?'.
This morning, on awakening, asked about some missing earings. 'Do you think I could have lost them in the garden the other day?'. The day in question being last Saturday, when we went down our garden (10 min. drive from home). Normally would not have remembered having been there. Maybe there is some light at the end of the Aricept tunnel after all. Mind you, the state my memory is in these days, maybe I should try some myself
keep smiling,
malomm

 

[pamann]

Hello malcolm
Sounds like Aricept has kicked in they say 3mths to get into the system, l hope all will be good for your wife, it took 3mths for my husband, but now after 16mths it is not working so well, but it could be worse without it ♥♥♥

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[zeeeb]

My mum initially improved on aricept. She was a nervous wreak (the image of someone having a nervous breakdown for 6 months or so whilst getting her diagnosis). Then she seemed to stabilise to a version of normal for quite some time when she started taking aricept. We stopped her aricept whilst the Dr was trying to diagnose her Parkinsons (to see if the tremors were a side effect of aricept) and she went right back to nervous wreck so quickly without it. So we she went back on the aricept.

She has deteriorated since, but obviously it did have some good effect. I don't know (and wouldn't want to try and experiment) what would happen if we removed the aricept.

 

[MrsTerryN]

I have wondered why my mother never went on to this drug. I once asked her pharmacist and he said she had never been on it.
Mum is moderate (or so) and may have lewy bodies

 

[Beate]

I have wondered why my mother never went on to this drug. I once asked her pharmacist and he said she had never been on it.
Mum is moderate (or so) and may have lewy bodies

Aricept/Donepezil wouldn't normally be prescribed for someone with lewy bodies:
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=113

 

[MrsTerryN]

thank you Beate . The lewy bodies isn't confirmed though it is on her medically records as a supposition. I suppose then, not having arcipet prescribed makes it a bit more definite.