They tried both Aricept and Namenda on my Mom. There was no effect except bad side effects. I was told that the drugs can slow the progression if the disease was diagnosed early enough. Hers wasn't. No drug yet known can stop the disease or reverse it. But research is being done.

Martha

Mom and Dad are both on Aricept and Nameda. Neither of them have had any side effects but I am not sure of the benefits either. Dad's is vascular dementia rather than ALZ. He was misdiagnosed with ALZ in the beginning so I am not sure if the meds were ever effective for him. Mom realized her mind was slipping and hid her inabilities by explaining it as a result of depression or that Dad did it. Living 4 hours away didn't help. By the time she was diagnosed, mid stages, we were told that these meds would probably have little effect but they wanted to try them anyway. They are definitely more effective in the early stages. She had cognitive testing, was on both meds for nine months, and then retested. Her testing showed significant decline during that 9 months. At that point we knew what we were dealing with and she was at a point where the cognitive testing was no longer beneficial to their research or her well being. So... I think at this point, with these being the only two options available, they are taking the medication more for our hope than for results......

Love, deb

I agree with Deb and Martha. My DH was diagnosed with Pick's and was put on both Namenda & Aricept as they were the only drugs available. Prior to his death, I had him admitted to MCO/UT Medical College of Ohio for a medication evaluation and the first thing they did was take him off both meds as they believed they had no affect on the illness. When he was taking them he had no side affects at all, but he was in his 50's so that might have made a difference as sometimes elderly patients are more sensitive to certain meds. Research is happening but I don't think we're there yet...

Good luck,
Janie

We have had the same experience with antidepressants and antipsycotics. Lexapro brought out the smile for a while and then Mom returned to her depression. Then she was on another medication for a while that worked and then didn't work. Then back to the Lexapro for another round of smiles and then tears followed by a dosage increase. Now she is on Remeron and Zolof and her smile is back. It's a constant battle to find the right med, in the right amount, in the right combination, at the right time but when you hit that golden combination it's heaven :-)

With the Namenda and Aricept it's hard to tell because it doesn't cure ALZ or make it better. Who is to say that it is actually slowing it down.

I am just thankful that Mom is not crying in her pillow, wishing to die, chewing out the staff, aggrivating Dad, or yelling at anything that moves.

Love, deb

My grandmother, 90 years old, has been taking Aricept for 3 years, and Namenda for two for her Alzheimer's. I know some people report that their loved ones had no benefit from the drugs, but they have helped her immensely. She was having terrible hallucinations and sundowning when I asked the Dr. to put her on Aricept. Within two weeks the dementia was gone, although the short term memory problems remained. It was like a miracle, because I had been about to put her in the nursing home. After about 6 months, I noticed her slipping a little, so the Dr. put her on the maximum dosage, which helped. A year later, the sundowning came back with a vengeance, so I asked the Dr. to put her on Namenda along with the Aricept.. After a few weeks the sundowning was gone again. This lasted about 9 months, before the sundowning came back. That's been a year ago, and I still give her the meds, because I'm afraid of how much worse it would be if she stopped.

In short, these drugs, if they do work for a person, give the patient and family a better quality of life for a little while and help keep the patient at home longer. I really don't think my grandmother would still be alive if she hadn't taken the meds, and I know she would not still be home.

Aricept causes her some stomach queasiness, and a little loss of appetite. The Namenda required a few weeks "adjustment", during which her memory and mood swings seemed to get worse, before improving. It also seems to cause some dizziness.

I must say, it is very important to be proactive and assertive with doctors. If I had not asked her Dr. to put her on the drugs, he never would have.
Caregivers need to research the drugs and become knowledgeable about them.