Posted , 5 users are following.
I was wondering what people thought about the medications commonly given to people with dementia.
I know these medications do help quite a lot of people. My question is also about when to stop giving them.
Are some meds better than others in different kinds of dementia?
What improvements did people note in their loved ones ?
0 likes, 2 replies
We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.
FaithInHim mac58
Posted
Hi Mac My reply would be to tell you to speak with the Doctor who prescribed this medicine. It is known that these medications help to "improve" the memory, awareness, and some functions. It restores the balance of natural substances (neurotransmitters) in the brain. However, it is by no means a cure. Each person is different and since this is your mom we are talking about, you would know or recognize if she is responding to the medication or becoming worse. I am imagining your mom has a neurologist? I would make some notes of your concerns about her symptoms or changes in behavior and talk to the Doctor about this. Also, regarding your other post ... you made the right decision in letting go of the caregiver who was not taking proper care of your mom. Perhaps her Doctor, or other elder nursing facilities can suggest a caregiver to you that has a good reputation and history with caring for patients with dementia. Good communication with Doctors and those who have gone through this will certainly help shed some light and point you in the right direction. I wish you the best
Stay positive and stay strong.
lily65668 mac58
Posted
Hi Mac,
My friend, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia, was prescribed generic donepezil by her neurologist in the hope it might bring about some improvement. He said it was specific for Alzheimer's but anecdotally brought about slight cognitive improvement in some other dementias. It wasn't reimbursed by our health service as this was an off-label use, but the generic isn't very expensive.
We kept her on it for six months but there was no noticeable improvement at the end of that time. Unfortunately, she'd had a tendency towards diarrhoea all her life, and the donepezil made this much worse. The neurologist finally concluded it was doing more harm than good and took her off it. We didn't notice any withdrawal effects, and the diarrhoea subsided to "normal" levels after a couple of weeks.