DH does mostly very well during the day - doesn't nap, fixes his breakfast and sandwich/fruit for lunch; showers, shaves,brushes teeth, etc. is not incontinent at all. He usually takes our dog for a short walk after dinner - I watch him because he has fallen a couple of times. The last few days though, after dinner, he will just sit at the table with his eyes closed or almost closed; then start rubbing his hands/fingers and back of his neck. He says they are cramping. I give him tonic water with quinine in it - and it usually does the trick. When he gets up he is very slow moving, and just shuffles - can't take the dog out. Isn't with it at all. I get him upstairs and he puts on his pj's, gets in the bed - goes right to sleep and he sleeps mostly through the night, with one bathroom break - by himself. But then he starts to jerk - his arms and legs - this is new. This is every few seconds. Next morning, he's perfectly fine and doesn't remember any of what happened last night before he went to bed. He was off Aricept for about 5 weeks while on Exelon patch, but side effects weren't good and we stopped that and put him back on Aricept about a week ago. He does have one small glass of cream sherry before dinner each night and I have to say - he does act like someone who is drunk! I told him this morning he may have to forego his sherry and see if that's what making him cramp and shuffle - so we'll see tonight what happens.
It could be the normal jerking that many of us experience here, or it could be a reaction to the aricept. Jerking, balance problems, cramping, etc. Being on the exelon patch could have changed his body so it is now reacting to the aricept. It is so hard to tell. My husband complains at night of his legs hurting and the only thing that has helped is magnesium. If I don't get his supplements redone weekly within a couple days he will start complaining of his legs hurting. My hb never remembers the jerking, even when his arm will bang into the little stand by his head. I expect to see bruises but so far there have been none.
vickie did you start the min dose up again on the aricept when you restarted? i know most of the time the drs will wean them off and gradually back on to get to a specific dose. it could be his meds i think if hes having out of the ordinary symptoms you should report that to his doc. these meds are potent stuff and at any time they can become intolerant to them. if you remembeer i posted DH took aricept for yrs then out of the blue became very intolerant, same thing with the razidyne and namenda. we had to cancell all of them. any jerking should be brought to his neurologists attention so they can monitor it. seizures are sometimes a part of the progressing disease and you want the docs to know its happening. divvi
divvi, He was already on the 5 mg of Aricept - has been for years, so I waited a few days after going off the Exelon then started him on the 5 mg.of Aricept again - per the Doc's instructions. He has appt with Doctor week after next, and I will get it checked out. I'm going to try to get him NOT to drink the sherry tonight and see if that makes a difference. May just have to water it down though. He does like his "martini" (from the old days - not really martini now) before dinner and I hate to have to take it away.
a little fiblet with the martini. he may not even notice. DH always loved his beer but dr said not to give it just in case -- so many losses along the way even the small ones.. hope you find its something simple and the jerking stops. goodluck, divvi
For what it's worth, my husband's neurologist forbid any alcohol, even wine after he went on Alz. meds. I would cheat (on special occasions, such as Thanksgiving Dinner, but it was half water. He stopped even sipping that. )
I have asked his doctors specifically about alcohol and the reply was that if all he drinks is 4 oz. of cream sherry, with ice - it should be okay. Tonight I told him he should not drink as much as usual, or stop altogether. He said he'd cut it back - and he did, probably to 3 oz.! LOL But...he was fine during and after dinner, took the dog out for a walk and is now getting ready to go to bed, as usual. He came up the stairs fine. No shuffling. This is baffling to me. How can he be so bad one day and fine the next???? Will be interesting to see if he jerks tonight.
Vickie--my husband's neuro has also said that a drink or two a day is no problem. He takes both Aricept and Namenda. Just in case, I did water it down anyway and he couldn't tell the difference.
Vickie, I'm so glad he seems better. Dh has had a drink every night since about 1980, but now is no longer interested. If I do pour him wine he will sometimes down the glas in one gulp, sometimes ignore it.
He used to like to have a beer in warm weather. Yesterday at the lake his friend poured him one while they were watching us girls swim, and he drank it, but told his friend it "was not very good." It was a Grolsch and that used to be a treat; I think he just no longer has a taste for it. He likes diet coke.
Charlie was a beer drinker though not a heavy drinker. Little by little he just stopped, on his own. One evening right before he was placed last year we were sitting at the table. He had a Pepsi and I had a Bud Light. The cans were sitting pretty close together and he picked up the beer instead of the Pepsi and took a drink. Got such a funny look on his face I had to laugh at him. He obviously did not care for the taste of it anymore.
My husband's neuro said, let him have his sherry. I pour about one shot (it's not as strong as whiskey) and fill the glass up with cool water. Pour myself the whole glass.. ;-) He doesn't notice the difference.
I've tried watering it down but he knows the difference. :-) Caught! But he only has such a small amount, with ice, I can't believe it would affect him in any way. Oh well, just another "bump" in the road. He's been fine since a couple days ago.
We always had a glass of wine at dinner, Now I still do (I look forward to it) but Dick prefers Pepsi. hasn't had wine in several months, maybe a glass when we have company, but definately not on a regular basis anymore. Seems to have lost his taste for it. Just like he has lost his taste for coffee. Used to have coffee all the time, now, doesn't even want it when we go out to a restaurant, just wants his pepsi.
Chris, the same happened to my husband. He lost his taste for wine - would take a sip and then put it down. I substituted 100% Cranberry-Grape juice in his wine glass, and he guzzled it! He can't get enough of it! <grin> He also lost his taste for coffee. That was the shocker. My husband in his 30s through 60s he drank 10-15 cups a day! He ALWAYS had a cup of coffee in his hands. For him to take a sip and put it down told me how far along in AD he was.
My wife seems to have lost her taste for coffee. A couple of years ago she would drink up to 4 cups of regular coffee with dinner and have no problem sleeping. Now she doesn't even finish one cup at breakfast or dinner. Also, she plays with her wine, but finally does finish a small glass on the few occasions we have it.
This is really interesting. My DH has always had 3 cups of coffee in the morning. Lately he seems to be drinking more of it. I don't think he has lost the taste for it as the other day he mentioned it seemed kind of strong. I wonder if asking would be of value to see if they are thinking it is either stronger or weaker than usual. My DH never mentioned the taste of it one way or the other..he doesn't like it especially strong. At the same time, he is forgetting how much he has been drinking. Same goes for the late afternoon cocktail...
Can't imagine my hubby ever losing his love for coffee. But it sounds like that might happen??!! He relies on his coffee to while the days away ie make a cup of coffee (actually his cup holds 2 cups) and then sit down to drink it while reading . . . after breakfast . . . then another break mid morning. After lunch, he naps and then gets up and makes more coffee or maybe tea and sits down again . . . that can be good for another hour and then it's almost time for supper so can't get much else done . . . He is forever sitting down for a drink. Not good when we are out as he needs as many trips to the bathroom as a recently potty trained child (who suddenly wants to check out all the washrooms in town when out on errands with Mom or at the beach or park . . . like right NOW).
My DH goes through caffeine free Diet Coke like it's water. I know that I probably shouldn't buy so much, but right now it's all he drinks besides a glass of Sunny D with his breakfast in the morning. Thanks you guys for all the support!