My DH has been diagnosed for over two years with early onset. He's on the maximum dose of Exelon patches. During this past month, I've noticed a decline. The medicine doesn't seem to be working. I found him outside one morning at 2 AM. Luckily, I heard the door slam or I don't know what would have happened. This morning he went out for a short walk and came back shortly, he had urinated on himself. I feel like his meds need to be changed. Our neurologist is in a research group that seems to lean toward the meds they are researching. I feel like he needs to be put back on Aricept with a companion medicine. He's on Flomax because he was going to the bathroom so much. Everything turned out fine with the prostate. . .no cancer. The Flomax seems to be working on the bathroom situation although this morning's incident was a shocker. Any advice on what to do? I work fulltime and he's a retired dentist.
I noticed an enormous difference when my husband had Ebixa added to his Exelon. He was in a study for it and of course, we didn't know if he was on the active drug or the placebo. At the end of a couple of months, he was then put on Ebixa. I didn't need to wait for the study to finish to know that he had been on the placebo. The difference was amazing. I think that it has started to not work as well now or the disease is just progressing but it is certainly worth a try.
It could be that he is just advancing. Sometimes it happens suddenly. It could be the change from Aricept to Exelon. Talk it over with the doctor. Also, this was recently mentioned to me - I know nothing about it, which is why I have a call in to our neurologist - I was told that sometimes the prostate medications can interfere with the Alzheimer medications.
Thank you both for the insight. I sometimes think I need to get a new neurologist, but DH likes the current one. This disease has taken on speed since he retired a year ago. Thanks for the support.
Regarding the disease speeding up after retirement: my husband also has EOAD. When he retired and we were together 24/7, I noticed so many problem issues that had not been apparent to me before. I think it was just the constant exposure that forced me to "wake up". So it may be the progression of the disease, but it may also be that while he was working it was easier for him to conceal his losses.
I didn't realize how bad off my husband was until I stopped working. He had lost all social skills, walked around with notes in his pockets it a futile attempt to function. He was labeling items of daily use with strange words-for example house key was tagged "residence" as he forgot usual terms like "house". He was biking through "the boat place" a community that had a sailboat as it's logo. Very sad.
When my husband tries to go outside, it is because he needs to use the bathroom and has forgotten where it is. One time, before we put key only dead bolts on the outside doors, he went out the back door, to the side of the house, unzipped and went in the grass, zipped back up and came back in (I'm sure that he thought he had gone to the restroom!). Now, when he gets out of his recliner, we take his elbow and guide him to the toilet! And he goes!
I don't know if this is why arizonasun's spouse is doing it, but it might be.....
I have noticed with DH that he can remember things from years ago but not 30 minutes ago. He also wants to go outside to the restroom. At night he will get up and put his pants on and head for the front door, I have to go chase him down and redirect him to the restroom. My thinking is back in his youth you did go outside to the out-house. I believe he has forgotten we have indoor pluming.
The whole AD situation is sad. It's so sad to see my DH who was an experimental sheet metal mechanic and hand made experimental parts all the way from the manufacture of the original B-52 to Boeing's 700 series. Now he can't change the battery in our smoke alarm. Couldn't hang a mobile on a hook on our gazebo today. Can't quite figure out how to put the plastic bag into the garbage can without direction. Very sad.
Yet,he never forgets to brush his teeth--twice a day. Go figure!