I know that at the beginning there can be intestinal problems like diarrhea. My husband had mild diarrhea which passed in a couple of weeks. I'm not sure how long it takes before you would notice anything. I never really noticed a change but I think it has slowed down the progression a bit.
intestinal problems, for sure. My DH was on Aricept and Namenda for several years. Saw nothing encouraging, just crappy (pardon the pun) side effects. After consulting with his Neuro, I stopped them both. Please remember, there is no cure for this disease. I'm taking the path of natural progression at this point. Did everything I was advised to do in the beginning, but I've decided that I know DH better than any of his doctors. Best of luck, Ann. I hope it helps your DH. :)
My hb took Aricept and Namenda and I could see no affect (side or otherwise). Now he takes one 10 mg Namenda in the a.m., and I'm going to ask about stopping that. No diff I can tell.
My husband started on Aricept but stopped eating and so he was changed to Razadyne. Can't say that I feel positive about the drugs but my dh believes they offer some hope so...we continue.
Just remember Ann - these drugs only help less than 50%. But the diarrhea and excess acid are two of the big physical. Then there are the behavior problems mentioned above. If acid seems to come up try giving an antacid. After two years my hb still takes one daily.
Ann, I wouldn't give up on the Aricept and Namenda to fast. I'd wait and see from your own experience if they are doing anything or not and that will take a little time. Then do what you think is the right thing to do based on that. Everybody seems to react differently.
My wife was put on both Aricept and Namenda right after her Diagnosis and she did throw up a few times and then it settled down and she had no problem after that. There are other side effects but Kathryn never had any others after that.
I also didn’t see any difference, however I considered that to be the benefit. From what I understand after talking with several doctors is while the medicine doesn’t stop the progress of the disease it does slow down the symptoms. What I take that to mean is that while the disease continues below the surface everything appears as if there is little or no change above the surface. It’s kind of like a bad cut if you can stop the bleeding it’s a good thing but the cut is still there. The big difference being that the cut will heal after time and Alzheimer’s will not.
It seemed to have work fine for a little over two years and then stopped working and her symptoms progressed suddenly from where she was to full stage six. However, for the two years the Aricept was working her quality of life was much better than it would have been had the Alzheimer’s progressed at its natural rate above the surface without the Aricept.
I hope I am getting accross what I am trying to say in a way you can understand what I mean.
Ann, My DH was first put on Aricept when first dx with early dementia in early 2006 & then Namenda about 6 months later. About 3 months ago I ran out of Namenda so I thought that maybe I would just take him off it; wrong idea. He seemed to get a bit aggressive. I decided that I better get him back on it & marsh advised me to start with a lower dose & build up to what he was taking. Luckily our PCP had some starter sample kits with 5mg & 10 mg pills. I got him back on it & it seemed to help. Like everyone else says here, each case is different, but I will keep him on both meds right now.
As others have noted, Ann, different people react differently to meds. My wife, for example, had zero side effects with aricept or namenda. But also do remember that these meds only help about 50% of those who take them, and for those who are helped the effects last for only up to around 2 years, max. After that time even the pharmas will admit the meds have no benefit ... although many caregivers keep AD spouses on thes meds for many years anyway hoping that in their particular case there will be a significant positive effect ... even though all the research says there will be none! And doctors, who often have less knowledge than we caregivers, continue to prescribe these meds well after they can have any positive effects.
M & Ms along with almonds make a great combo. The MMs make you feel good and the almonds give you fiber, lower cholesterol, triglycerides which makes your body and doctor happy.
And snickers with almonds! For the past 6 months, my wife has gone from one snicker/w/almonds bar a day to a snicker/w/almonds, a bag of m&m's, a Hershey bar/w/almonds ... AND chocolate chip cookies ... each night!! She's gained quite a few pounds. I have to remind her to eat breakfast/lunch/supper because she always tells me she's not hungry. Yet when it comes to sitting and watching TV with me each night, those chocolate treats never stop! And when they do, an ice cream sandwich often follows!!
We had pecan pie and ice cream every day for over 2 years. One day I substituted an apple and got away with it. So no more pie. I buy the small bars of Baby Ruths and Mounds and he gets one as a treat. We both lost a few pounds which was good. Of course, my DH is at the stage that he forgets what happened yesterday and has stopped looking for the goodies. He is happy and I am happy knowing he is eating healthier. I do give him yogurt and some ice cream every day. I miss the pie...LOL