Could someone tell me what is the major difference between these two conditions and how does a doctor determine the difference? My DH has been told he had AZ for the past two years...now his doctor seems to think he may have FTD. I have an appointment with his doctor but it is three weeks from now and I would like some information on this if anyone has it. Thanks
He has been on Razadyne for almost 2 years and then Namenda added a year ago. He seemed to really level off and much calmer. Now he is getting worse again and back to repeating, why did someone steal his guns, what did I do with the money, etc.???
My husband has FTD. He started losing his memory about 6 years ago, however, was only diagnosed last July after several MRI, 2 PET Scans & numerous other test over the past years. I was told that FTD is very hard to diagnose & missed many times. Also, from what I have been told, AD is more in the back of the brain & FTD deals more with the frontal temporal. Some FTD suffers seem to be able to....basically for a better word "Fake" their problems longer. Like with AD though, not everyone is the same. My husband was also on Namenda & Razadyne ER, however, after his diagnoses the Neurologist stopped the Razadyne ER, he also was goingt to stop the Namenda, however, I really didn't want to at that time. Namenda, is the only memory medication I have read that might help FTD. After stopping the Razadyne I saw no change, so it must not have been helping. I am sure others with loved ones with FTD will weigh in on this subject.
Kadee-don't know if you've already seen it-look on the left side of Joan's home page. Person in a boat holding a sign-need help. Very long article and worth every minute to read it.
judith, FTD is commonly referred to as "Pick's Disease" you can google it or google AD vs Picks disease and it will bring up various differences to read about. i believe thre is a fine line between the various dementias once they set in and some patients, i believe like my DH can actually have a combo of more than one type of dementia going on. our dx was vascular dementia/ with possible AD. but the symptoms during the yrs has changed me to think some picks or lewy bodies too as he has very marked hallucinations and dreams at times. as the disease ravages its way thru the various areas of the brain, in my opinion it can change the dx from one original dx to include one or more of the others. the symptoms are not always clear in the beginnings and things seem to change as time proceeds. hope this helps. divvi
Divvi, Interesting that you talk about "marked hallucinations and dreams" as my dh did this all the time. He is a vietnam vet and was diagnosed with PTSD with symptoms of dementia by the VA. Before he was diagnosed, he was treated for 10 years privately for his PTSD (never would have anything to do with the VA). This PTSD caused lots of nightmares and flashbacks. Since he has lost the ability to supress much of this, he is now very dillusional and hallucinates. If his meds are out of wack, he screams and screams at people he thinks are trying to kill him. This is the saddest disease. The brain is so complex, I guess we are at the mercy of the drs in hopes that the diagnosis is correct. Many of these problems have the same symptoms and I wonder how important it is to go through all the scans , etc. to decide if it is FTD or Ad. I guess it is important to rule out the possibility of a curable situation (i.e. tumor, etc.) before they finally make the determination. I just hate to put dh through all those tests.
I think the major reason for trying to find the correct diagnoses, is that some memory medications, cause more problems with agression in FTD. There really isn't a medication other than Namenda that is recommended, however, it may not help either. I am just afraid to stop, just in case it is helping.
well looking in retrospect the tests we have to put them thru could offer a hope that something else is to blame. once the tests are over andthe usual remark is AD or some form of dementia depending on the results. thats interesting that maybe some of the PTSD could possibly have been early onset AD -i believe there is more knowledge out there now to pinpoint the types of dementia at DIAGNOSIS but i do think that can change to include more along the way. i hope your DH has enough meds to get him thru those hallucinations Kathryn how sad. divvi ps my own opinion, i believe namenda in our case made my DH more aggitated. off it hes as docile as a lamb. i am so thankful. so you never know. divvi
Thank you all for your information. I am trying to research and read as much as I can before the doctor's appointment so I can ask the right questions. As you all know so well, information from the care givers sometimes is more valuable then what we get from the doctors.
JudithKB, we are going through exactly the same thing right now with a diagnosis of AD for the last three years and now the internist/AD specialist thinks he may have FTD instead. After one visit interview she ordered a new MRI which I think was long overdue, and new neuropsych testing. But she made the comment that she didn't think my husband has AD to him which gave him a big charge thinking he doesn't have it. Now if she comes back and says he does, I think that will be a low blow for him. He doesn't have any idea what FTD would mean for him so I don't tell him. He has been on Razadyne ER and Namenda for about 3 years and Seroquel for the last year. He has become so angry of late I believe that is what she is basing her thoughts on as she really hadn't reviewed all the files yet. I wish she had not said anything until she was more up to date on his history. I will be watching your progress with great interesst and also keep you up to date with ours.
Thank you Jules. I have just found this site and it has lots of information. http://memory.ucsf.edu/ftd/overview/progression/multiple/endstage.
I think my DH probably has FDT because of his age. He is only 61 and has been having problems for 3 years at least. He has been getting worse the last couple of months which is frightening to me because he gets so angry. I just hate it when they have tested him and then you have to wait so long to know the results. The more I read about FDT he seems to fit that area better then the AD area. Not really a lot of difference...it is all bad.
Remember, Judith, that ALZHEIMER's used to be called "early senility" or presenile dementia.. First really diagnosed in people UNDER 65 or thereabouts. You're right, there's not much difference in the way they come out. EOAD apparently may be more likely to be inherited, but not the other kinds..
It has also been called "Hardening of the Arteries". I still hear people calling it that. Maybe it makes them feel better than admitting that it is alheimer's.
We just returned from a PCP appt. Our Dr (Dr. S.) took G off Namenda explaining he had gone to the FTD expert at our med school who told him it was of zero help to FTD patients and more often than not created more problems and caused harm! So, we are easing off of that (not all at once), and he prescribed Seroquel. I hope to see some help as G has had some abusive issues lately. My new problem is the Seroquel might further harm his balance which is lousy at best. There's the 2 cents from Oregon
kathi i saw a big plus taking DH off the namenda. i believe its calmed him and his demeanor is nothing less than miraculous. does everything i ask without fussing at all now , EVEN baths at all hrs of the day! i believe it caused him aggitation as well. my dr says taking DH off the namenda was a first for him but hes seen a remarkable improvement in his attitutude he thinks twice before rxing it now. best of luck, witht the seroquel. it will be better i bet. divvi
My husband was diagnosed with probable FTD due to his MRI showing atrophy in his frontal lobes. He is on namenda, aricept, cymbalta and seroquel. He was originally placed on risperadal but it did the opposite and made him incredibly agitated. I haven't really noticed any difference in his memory from the aricept and namenda, but he also hasn't had any aggression and rage. He gets very stubborn at times, but not all FTD patients have the horrible aggression and rage. The main difference between ALZ and FTD that I was told was that the behavior problems--personality changes, are usually the first symptoms and then the memory problems begin. The progression of the disease in the late stages are pretty similar to ALZ.
My husband was also diagnosed with probable FTD (he's 59), but the geripsychiatrist said that about 50% of the time it turns out to be ALZ. Namenda made him extremely aggressive so he was taken off of it but I know there are some trials regarding Namenda's effectiveness in treating FTD. Seroquel has worked wonders on his rage, aggression and agitation so I am thankful. As deb112958 says, the progression of the disease in mid to late stages is similar to ALZ.
My husband was diagnosed with both FTD/EOAD. He is on Aricept and Seroquel. The doctor said because of the significant frontal lobe shrinkage he has FTD and he is now 59 stage 5 diagnosed at age 58 , and the damage to the rear of the brain also shown on the MRI and thru the various test done .
JudithKB, we had the MRI on monday but no results back from the dr. yet. We tried to make an appointment for neuropsych testing but they are having trouble with their equipment. Why am I not surprised. So it has been a rough 6 weeks or so starting with the bladder infection debacle and still no help in sight as far as changing meds or giving us something else to try. I still think she is wrong about the FTD as I read more about it. I dont see the symptoms in him that correspond with FTD, more like AD. We see the urologist again on Thursday. My whole social life revolves around dr. appointments, geeezzz.
Thanks for your comments....all encourgement gratefully received. The PCP also felt G had declined a great deal since the February visit...always something..but the Doc is very sympathetic and willing to do whatever it takes. I guess that is better than most. Do you mean that we might see showers that actually include soap and last more than 30 seconds? :-)
personally i believe the seroquel will control the aggitation better as seen here with members with FTD, and hopefully make your G much more docile as well removing the namenda. :) i belive i just read LFL took spouse off namenda as well with FTD due to aggression above in a post-divvi xxx fingers for you kathi!