What do alzheimers drugs do

Be sure to work closely with your doctors if you are interested in experimental therapies, and consider enrolling in a trial when possible. Clinical trials have procedures in place to monitor safety and side-effects. This article is very very useful to me. Actually doctors in the public hospital in Hong Kong did not explain to me clearly what kind of Dementia my mother is suffering. We told the doctor not the one who prescribed Memantine prescribed Exelon in patch from.

Recently she feels dizzy more frequently, almost once a day every morning. She used to have this problem before any medication last year but it is more frequent now. Later the doctor prescribing this patch prescribed Donepezil. Our family decided not to let my mom take Donepezil as the potential side effect on her appetite concerns us.

We think that even if the drug can help maintain her memory, the bad appetite may on the contrary affects her physical body, let along other know and unknown side effects of this drug. On the other hand, even we apply Exelon patch, we will remove it before she goes to bed hoping that the itchy feeling will fade away so that she can sleep better. We take this as a non-medical treatment. Am I doing right in respect of using those medicines?

Not sure if it will worsen the condition if I do not follow the exact drug instruction by keeping the patch 24 hours. Many thanks. Rivastigmine brand name Exelon and donepezil brand name Aricept are both cholinesterase inhibitors. Normally we would not give a person both drugs at the same time. When it comes to medications that are delivered by patches, you usually want to wear them all the time, to keep a consistent blood level of the medication.

If your mother is getting a skin reaction to the patch, then perhaps she should try one of the other cholinesterase inhibitors. Regarding dizziness, it is a known side-effect of memantine, but there are also many other problems that can cause this in older adults.

I would recommend you make sure her doctor knows that she has been dizzy. It might be reasonable to try stopping the memantine, to see if that helps with the dizziness.

Good luck! Thanks a lot for your prompt reply. In fact, my mother switched from menantine to Exelon patch in July because her appetite was affected by menantine. She is using Exelon patch now and her dizziness or may be called syncope?

We are going to visit the doctor this morning. I will discuss it with the doctor. Many thanks again. It can be caused by several different things, such as fall in blood pressure or by certain types of neurological reflexes. People usually describe feeling light-headed beforehand, or feeling their vision get tunnel-like.

Your article was most helpful. Of course I sa my Dr today. Forgot to ask what would help. Flex seed oil and gorsace sp and omega3. Are these helpful? Thank you for your diligence and attention to detail. God bless you richly. Gingko has been studied but the evidence is mixed, and in one well done trial, it was found to have no effect preventing dementia: Ginkgo biloba for Prevention of Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

The research on omega-3s is likewise a bit mixed but honestly seems more promising, here is a recent article: Omega-3 Fatty Acids Moderate Effects of Physical Activity on Cognitive Function. Generally I advise people to focus on making sure they get enough exercise, avoiding medications that slow brain function, and then eating a diet that is good for their cardiovascular health, such as the Mediterranean diet.

Do any of these medications improve short term memory? Honestly I believe she is fine in a practical and awareness and orientational sense, reaction time is reasonable. She is particularly good at navigating in a familiar city of course … I am however concerned that these tests of short term memory may cause her to stumble.

She is very good at keeping a diary, and manages still to fly internationally. Is there anything you would recommends takes to help memory.. In terms of medications and supplements, the evidence is weak for almost everything. I gained a great deal of information reading your articles and comments. My wife was 56 when diagnosed with early onset. She is now 59 and restlessness is the main issue. Can you comment on the use of THC to help with restlessness and agitation? There seems to be plenty of conflicting information on the topic.

Thank you. If you are struggling with restlessness, I would recommend looking into non-pharmacological dementia behavior management. I also outline our general approach to difficult dementia behaviors in this article. I have passed this advice website on to a few patients already.

Do you recommend it? Also, any thoughts about Ritalin for mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Vitamin D has not been shown to make a difference to the progression of dementia. Thanks a lot Dr. Kernisan for your wonderful writings. I had been trying to search at least a way to get a bit relief for my mother and the family. My mother is suffering from this unanswerable disease for the last 3 years. Though she is under 60, she is already in critical stage.

For the last days she has given up eating. It is hardly possible to feed her solid normal food like, rice, vegetables, noodles etc.

We tried with variety of foods and success rate was quite low. Even two days ago I could manage her to drink glass of liquid water, milk, juice etc.

As a result the caregiver get scared and naturally one day she may leave. Last night I monitored my mother, she slept for nearly hours I believe. But surprisingly she does not look sleepy during the day. Anyways, this is probably the most difficult time in my life I am passing through. Only God knows when this struggle will come to an end. I am happy to serve for my mother. Sorry to hear that you are facing these challenges. If she is declining quickly or refusing to eat, I would recommend asking her usual doctors for help.

You may also want to ask them how likely they think it is that she will stabilize or improve. Hello Dr Kernisan, I found this article very enlightening. We have always wondered if these drugs were worth taking but were afraid of the consequences if he stopped. My husband is still able to take care of himself with a little assistance. But his language skills are poor. What if my doctor insists that he continues?

Is it harmful to stop cold Turkey? Thanks in advance. My clinical resource suggests tapering over weeks. If your husband seems worse, you could resume.

In terms of when to stop these medications, once someone has been on for a long time e. A taper off to see what happens would not be unreasonable, if you prefer to minimize medications, and you can always resume if it seems he was better on the medications.

I was thrilled to come across your site with all the common-sense, unbiased information you share with families dealing with cognitive decline. How can a disease be treated effectively when the cause is so elusive? It seems each new scientific finding conflicts with earlier ones. How does one judge the benefits to a patient when they are always in a medicated state?

In , at age 60, my sister was diagnosed with MCI, amnestic vs. MMSE: She was prescribed Buspirone for anxiety and mild depression she had several suicidal episodes in the previous 40 years of living in chronic stress. She was started on Donepezil, then Memantine was added. I see very little of that when I visit, and she sleeps like a rock for 8 hours every night. He was not very receptive, and the phone call I had with her Dr. Do you have any words of wisdom for this situation?

I cover antipsychotics and other medications given for difficult behaviors in detail here: 5 Types of Medication Used to Treat Difficult Dementia Behaviors. If your sister is rarely agitated and even seems a little sedated, then it might be reasonable to try lowering the dose of her quetiapine, to see how she does. Separate from what is medically reasonable and medically optimal, there is also the question of negotiating things when multiple family members are involved.

So especially, if she is living with her husband and he is the one making decisions, then I would recommend being careful and thoughtful about this suggestion. If she lives with him, then his wellbeing has to be factored in, because his mood and patience will affect her. It is a really good resource to help one discuss emotionally laden topics and negotiate a way forward. Hope this helps. Good luck and take care.

Generally I recommend that people of that age get evaluated in a specialized memory center. His method of assessment has not been validated, nor have his individualized treatment plans, so by usual standards, his science is considered questionable. That said, I think his book highlights a number of health factors to consider, such as the possibility of sleep apnea, impaired glucose tolerance, etc. So you might read it to get ideas of what kinds of health factors could be optimized for your mother.

Thank you as always for this generous comprehensive information. Your articles are always so relevant and helpful. He rarely sleeps and has become very anxious and difficult. To make things even worse, he is now completely blind. I am wondering your opinion of medical marijuana for the treatment of his symptoms. I understand there has been some promising research but I really know very little. All of these medicines have possible side effects , including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, allergic reactions, and loss of appetite.

Report any unusual symptoms to the prescribing doctor right away. Also, let the doctor know before adding or changing any medications. Scientists are learning why these symptoms occur and are studying new treatments — drug and nondrug — to manage them. Learn more about behavioral changes in people with Alzheimer's disease and ways to cope. Sleep aids are used to help people get to sleep and stay asleep. There are lifestyle changes people can make to improve their sleep.

Learn more about getting a good night's sleep. Anti-anxiety drugs are used to treat agitation. These drugs can cause sleepiness, dizziness, falls , and confusion. For this reason, doctors recommend they should only be used for short periods of time. Anti-convulsants are drugs sometimes used to treat severe aggression.

Side effects may cause sleepiness, dizziness, mood swings, and confusion. Antipsychotics are drugs used to treat paranoia, hallucinations , agitation, and aggression. Side effects of using these drugs can be serious, including increased risk of death in some older people with dementia. In ongoing clinical trials , scientists are developing and testing several possible interventions, including immunization therapy, drug therapies, cognitive training, physical activity, and treatments for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Read about this topic in Spanish. Common side effects include dizziness, headache, confusion and agitation. The FDA has also approved a combination of donepezil and memantine Namzaric , which is taken as a capsule. Side effects include headache, dizziness, nausea and diarrhea. Because Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, your symptoms and care plan will change over time. If you're taking an Alzheimer's drug, ongoing review of your care plan will include working with your doctor to decide how long you should continue your medication.

Because the effects of Alzheimer's drugs are usually modest, it might be difficult to tell if the drugs are working. However, you can't know if your symptoms might be more severe without your medication. Talk to your doctor before stopping an Alzheimer's drug, and let your doctor know if your condition worsens after you stop. There is a problem with information submitted for this request.

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This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions. Alzheimer's: Drugs help manage symptoms. Products and services. Alzheimer's: Drugs help manage symptoms Alzheimer's still has no cure, but two types of drugs can help manage symptoms of the disease. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information.

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