Those are standard anti-depressents. However, I personally know about Aricept because I tried it for tardive dyskinesia and had a pretty poor response. My grandfather was prescribed Aricept for age related memory loss after a cardiovascular impairment. He couldn't tolerate it either. That doesn't mean at all its the wrong medication generally. Its just it has a fair amount of side effects for some people.
My Mom is 92 years old. Has been living on her own in Elderly housing for 20 years. Her dementia consisted of repeating and repeating, forgetting who visited, etc. but went throughout her normal activities w/some services very well and very happiy. Always knew us but was starting to forget other people but after prompting she would be ok.
3 weeks ago she developed a very severe resistant UTI and then got c-dift (not sure how to spell that). Anyway ended up dilusional, confused, etc.
They say now that Aricept binds receptors that would otherwise heal, so it's not good for MS - it's specifically for Alzheimer's. My new neuro was horrified when she learned I had been on it for five months.
I don't know anything about that - all I know is that before Aricept, I was in a gray mist, and after five months of Aricept, everything seemed to make more sense.
Is the person having memory problems? If not, why are they taking it? There are lots of drugs that have "off label" uses for lots of drugs so perhaps it was prescribed for something else. The doctor can probably let you know what that is and why it's being used. I don't think it will hurt, but there are side effects in every med and it would be a good idea to check drug interactions, etc. Try Drugs.com. If you cannot speak to the patient's doc, can you call your own?
My husband has been taking 10mg of Aricept for 2 years now and I have not noticed any significant difference in his memory. Actually, my observation is his memory is becoming worse. I'm struggling with whether I should discontinue the medication since I don't see improvement and because it is quite costly. I also know Aricept is designed to slow down the dementia so if I discontinue it I'm wondering if he will become worse much faster.
This should be started only on prescription of your treating physician. It is used for treatment of Alzheimer’s, but is helpful for short term memory loss.
Aricept is a drug of choice to treat Alzheimer's, but its use is not restricted. It has been observed that Aricept improves cognition and function, which includes effects on memory and performing everyday tasks, hence it would have been prescribed.
The effect of memory is exerted through one such chemical called acetylcholine.
I am confused as to which is the most important issue and how I approach each. I see a neurologist this week and have been placed on Aricept. Yet still the confusion lingers. Please give me some directive on which is the most imperative issue.
When I was having some serious cog fog, I asked my neurologist for a sample of Aricept. Had to argue with him, actually. It worked! I got back some of my cognitive function - not all, but enough that I felt confident about my decisions.
I took it for four months, total. I still have one month left over on the scrip, so if I really need it, I'll have it.
She was diagnosed with a bladder infection, but actually her pain was from adhesions that had wrapped around her gut, cutting off movement and causing much pain. Whatever they were giving her for bladder infection caused her to be sleepless. At 85 years old, she went a week with no sleep at all. After the adhesions were removed at another hospital, she went home.
My mother-in-law is 81 and there is quite a history of longevity in her family. She has been living on her own since her youngest daughter moved into her own place 25 years ago. A little over 2 months ago, her 92-year-old since became suddenly ill and subsequently passed away. My mother-in-law was able to attend her funeral with us 200 miles away and she was also able to see her sister one last time before she died.
She has moderate to severe short term memory loss and has been started on Aricept. She has also recently had an MRI of the brain.
Could you explain: "moderate diffuse cerebral atrophy and chronic white matter small vessel disease"?
Thank you!
Hi. 5'10" Gent, and brand spankin newbie to this site. i just turned 56 in April. In my journal August. 12, 2013, I recorded wgt. 247.5 lb, BP 157/101, severe depression & anxiety with heaart palpitations and mid-nightime panic attacks. Also using CPAP setting of 14cm for severe sleep apnea, and suffered almost daily migraines. Plus my triglicerides were, as my dr put it, "through the roof!
Hi Margypops,
Axona is a brand-new prescription therapy launched in March 2009 for the treatment of mild-moderate Alzheimer's disease. As Alzheimer's is marked by a decrease in glucose in the brain (the primary source of food for the brain), Axona acts by providing/metabolizing glucose in the body to act as an alternate source of food for the brain.
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