The latest medication are manufactured by several large companies, they basically work in the same way.

With Alzheimers disease it is postulated that the brain is lacking in Acetyl- choline.
The medications work by binding to the chemicals in the brain that inhibit this chemical.

The medications are:
Aricept
Reminyl
Excelon

In addition Reminyl has some modulation of receptors that enhance memory and concentration.

A side effect of all of these are nausea when first started, Patients should take with a meal.

God Bless all dealing with the disease that robs us of our loved ones!!!!

My mom's side effects to Aricept were psychosis, a total loss of language comprehension, and a falling to a whole new level of dementia. Against the doctor's orders, I stopped the drug and she returned to her former state of dementia and was no longer psychotic and could understand me when I tried to speak to her.

Glad for the people these drugs help, however. I just wish physicians were more alert to possible adverse effects of these "well tolerated" meds and be open to the possibility that not all patients benefit.

My experience:

Mom 'tried' Aricept for 10 days in November. Result: non stop diarreah causing ruined clothes, bed linens, and more. Cramping, loss of water and minerals, close to shock. Could have been fatal. No change in Dementia.

Naturally trhe doctor agreed to stop it. It took another 5 days before her bowel calmed down.

I would not go near that medication with a barge pole!!

And according to their OWN literature and tests, NOT the advertisements on TV and in magazines where we see a formerly demented person now leading a normal life (!!!! LIES!!!!!!!) the drug 'may' work for 5 to 18 months to slow down the progress of the disease, but is NOT a cure.

Good luck to anyone who tries it!

Love,

Martha

Everyone has to take advantage of whatever is out there to see if it helps. The first thing the Docs in our hometown did was put my hubby on Aricept--Namendan(sp) and Lexapro--to the tune of like $400 a month.

Finally I got fed up and that is when I took him to Mayo for 4 days and they concluded he had Frontotemporal dementia--not--AD--big difference and they told me the aricept and namendan could actually be bad for him--which I think it was--cuz 4 weeks after being off it--he became witty and fun again--and not so parinoid--but each individual is different.

Quote from Glenna:

My mom's side effects to Aricept were psychosis, a total loss of language comprehension, and a falling to a whole new level of dementia. Against the doctor's orders, I stopped the drug and she returned to her former state of dementia and was no longer psychotic and could understand me when I tried to speak to her.

Glad for the people these drugs help, however. I just wish physicians were more alert to possible adverse effects of these "well tolerated" meds and be open to the possibility that not all patients benefit.

Aricept had to be discontinued on my husband. It was determined that it stimulated his brain just enough to make him more difficult to handle. It isn't for everyone.
Mary Ann

Hi All,

My dad has parkinsons and alzheimers. When diagnosed more than a year ago, he took Aricept, and it helped for 1 yr. He also takes levadopa/carbidopa for parkinsons. His neurologist and I decided to try the next highest dose of Aricept - but there is great doubt on both our parts - it may not work. So this may be the start of his decline. As you guys know, that can be fast or slow. But at least he had 1 yr, to still function pretty well and to remember some! The only side affects were a little nausea for the first week and a little dizziness. I think the dizziness is a side effect of alzheimers and parkinsons. Who knows?!

Wannabe

My husband couldn't tolerate Aricept due to severe nausea, but has done (ok) with Reminyl. He had some nausea, but gradually adjusted to the medicine. He was diagnosed almost 2-years ago, and has been declining slowly but steadily. We don't know if the medicine works but he'll stay on it in the hope of a benefit -- we're not willing to gamble on learning how severe his decline would have been without the Reminyl, since any decline is not reversible.

He just started Namenda together with the Reminyl three days' ago. The Namenda pack starts off slowly at 5 mg and then increases to 10 mg. He says he's feeling very dizzy and nauseaus in the morning again, but he's willing to give it a chance. I hope to have positive results on the Namenda to report in a few weeks.