i think my mother has altzheimers

[robinneff]

I think my mother has this awful thing. she is getting worse as the days go by, and i don't know what to do. she accuses people of stealing from her, she misplaces things 100 times a day. she remembers nothing. we started her on a drug called aricept, but i don't think it is working for her. help!! Robin

 

[jenniferpa]

Firstly welcome to Talking Point

I've moved your post to its own thread so it's not lost in the shuffle.

Coincidentally I'm in Pittsburgh as well.

What you describe is definitely consistent with Alzheimer's. It can take some time for Aricept to have an effect, and sadly, for some people it never does work. There are other medications that can be tried though. How long has she been taking it?

 

[christine_batch]

Hi Robin,
When you say we have put our mother on Aricept, is this with a Consultant or Doctor's advice.
It is one of the things that, the drug may not suit your Mother.
Where you put I think my mother has Alzheimer's, it is something that only a Professional person would be the only way to seek help.
Perhaps someone will come on line later to give you more advice.
Best wishes
Christine

 

[Skye]

Hi Robin, welcome to TP.

Can you give us more information? It certainly sounds like AD, and presumably you have a diagnosis, as your mum has medication.

If it doesn't seem to be working, you should perhaps go back to the consultant. There are other drugs available, and it could be that one of the others will be more effective. Unfortunately, as Jennifer says, none of the drugs work for some people. You really do need medical advice about this.

 

[Nebiroth]

In the UK, at least, Aricept is only licensed for people with Altzheimers so being prescribed it here is a fairly definite indicator.

The reactions to this drug vary enormously from one person to another. Some people have severe physical side-effects and have to be taken off it. Some people show no benefit at all. Some people show a temporary imrpovement.

It is very difficult to tell, because you are always faced with the difficulty that the person taking it may have declined more rapidly without the drug.

It is usually said that the very best you can hope for is a temporary, slight improvement (although, as we know, even a slight improvement can seem enormous).

My dad showed a definite improvement about a month or two after starting it.

Sadly it is clear that the disease continues to progress and he is declining back to where he was a couple of years ago.

We can all hope for the best but you should not expect miracles from these drugs.

They are not a cure. They may be able to temporarily slow the decline.