My dh's moods leveled out when the Aricept kicked in. However, he had diarhea problems with the 5mg dose when we halved the dose, the behavior issues returned. Back to full 5 mg dose; he claims he's not having bowel problems and his good nature has returned.
We had his 6 mo visit with his neuro today and after listening to what I had to say, the doc recommended the addition of Namenda. As far as I am concerned, I cant take care of an abusive mate, it is too hurtful, and as another member of this forum said - I have not graduated to that level of goodness as of yet. So, anything that keeps him being a sweet human being, works for me as long as it doesn't make him feel worse. I just can't mentally check out when he says hurtful things day after day - then I get depressed and start thinking of a way out ... Just not possible for a caring spouse.
My hubby is on both Namenda and Exelon..as I understand it, Namenda is designed to slow the death for brain cells..My dh did not have side effects that would cause him to have to stop the meds..I hope the change works for you.
mothert--perhaps you should talk to the neuro again. It is my understanding that drugs like Aricept/Namenda, etc. can improve the level of the patient's functioning by helping the brain make up for things it lacks when AD is present. Moods/behaviors are usually treated by psychiatric drugs like antipsychotics, antidepressants, etc. If abuse in an issue, the AD drugs alone may not be enough to address that.
Mothert, my DH is on both Aricept & Namenda & he tolerates them fine. As with you the Namenda was added after about 6 months on Aricept. The talk here says that these meds lose their effectiveness after about 3 years. My DH has been on them for about 5 years & a few months ago I ran out of the Namenda & I thought that maybe it was time for him to stop taking it. After about a week his personality definitely changed & he was more aggressive, not really bad, but it was a definite change. So I called my doctor & he had some starter packs so I could start him on the low dose & build it up to the full dose. He leveled out after a few weeks. But as we all know, different meds work differently on different people.
My hb has been off of both Namenda and the Exelon for about 3 months after having been on them for several years. He's not aggressive. I thought these drugs were just to slow progression not make up for functions. Anyway, he was slowly deteriorating and continues to do so. Conclusion for my hb, no marked change during or after Namenda and Exelon--except we probably won't be in the donut hole this year. More $ for chocolate.
DH has been off both Aricept and Namenda since last August, after being on both 5-7 years. I saw no change. He is not aggressive either and as Zibby said, was slowly deteriorating and continues to do so. And...also more $$ for chocolate!
I know several member's LO's are on Namenda and it has worked for them. However, our story is a bit different. When DH was put on Namenda, he tolerated the low dose well. However, whe we went to the 10mg he became aggressive and delusional resulting in him hitting me and me having to call the police. Increased aggression is a side-effect of Namenda, although statistically it affects less than 1 in 1000 people this way. When I was looking for an ALF for him, one of the nurses in an ALF said when she put her patients on Namenda, 25% of them became aggressive. I know it is a wonderful drug for many people; just be aware it can have side effects you may not be counting on. Good luck!
Marilyn, when I said m my hb got abusive, I meant very.moody and verbally abusive; he's never been physically abusive (ptL). He's back to being sweet and mostly cooperative since returning to 5mg/ day Aricept. We are taking off in a couple weeks for a lengthy road trip, so I will wait till we return to add the Namenda. I was wondering why the doc thinks we need the Namenda, but concluded that he must see more of a progression than I do and thinks its time to step up the meds as my hb is very healthy and isn't on many other drugs - and I stressed how his moods had deteriorated when I had cut the Aricept. Guess I'll just wait and see.
mothert--Aricept and Namenda do different things in the brain, so maybe adding the Namenda will help.
Zibby--nothing on the market slows the disease progression. I think that misleading advertising by the pharma companies has confused the issue. The analogy I like is that taking the AD drugs is like taking one of the OTC cold medications--your symptoms like sneezing and runny nose may be lessened, but it doesn't cure the cold.
They like the combo of the two since they work differently. Many doctors believe the it improves their lives. namenda is approved for moderate to severe AD but many start it along with aricept or galantamine. My hb could not tolerate the Nemenda - it make him tired, exhausted and 'foggy'. We choose that any benefit was not worth the loss. 2% have this severe of a reaction. I hope it helps your hb.
Well, I have my fingers crossed. He's been so well-mannered since going back on 5 mg/day of Aricept. However, I do think that his loose stool issue has returned and I'll have to deal with that somehow because I cannot deal with an AH husband.