Wow, FayeBay*, that story set off alarm bells. First, that doctor should NEVER have dismissed your concern in that way. She should have called the company and reported an adverse effect and demanded to know if there were other cases reported. This possible effect needs to be reported and documented. When your choices are narrowed down to worse and worst, affirmation and collaborative work from physician is so important. The company should WANT to know about this. If they ignore the reports they set themselves up for liability. It is also interesting that the patient was aware of the adverse effect. I hope you were able to find a more helpful physician.
Fayebay* I have said before that Aricept gave my DW terrible diarrhea and the dr didn't tell us anything about the side effects. Bless her heart, she couldn't help it but......... Needless to say, the dr wasn't surprised when I told him that we had the problem.
HMMM, now I am wondering and questioning the difference between aricept and namenda?
My husband is taking namenda twice daily, but he has FTD. Could this medicine be causing some of his behavioral problems? He does also have alzheimers mild/moderate. Guess I'll check tomorrow with the pharamist.
Name da has not been shown to help FTD, but since dx is so hard we still often have to try drugs that don't match the dx. Ask the pharmacist and the doctor.
lullie, as I've said repeatedly namenda made dh aggressive and is a side-effect of the medication, so it's possible. When dh was dxd in 2008 the University of Pennsylvania was conducting a clinical trial using Namenda with patients dxd with FTD. Dr. John Trojanowski was conducting the trila (he wrote the forward to the book "What if it's not Alzeheimers"). You might want to search FTD clinical trials and see what you find.
ps the director of nurses at an alf I considered for dh told me that at least 25% of the residents in the memory care unit became agitated and/or aggressive after receiving Namenda, so it is a side effect.
LFL, so glad we never tried Namenda. One neurologist recommended against it because the Exelon patch agitated her a lot. She was offered to be on the Namenda trail at Johns Hopkins but we declined.
Good decision paulc. No one can convince me that Nanenda will have helped my bvFTD husband. Direct correlation between Namenda and violence. Went from 5 mgs to 10 mgs, had hallucinations, delusions, aggression and violence. Nero denied it but I later got a handwritten letter (probably drafted by his attorney) after dh tried to kill me that there was no way he could predict the side effects. Oh what tales we can tell!
LFL, you are such a kind soul, always trying to help people out, always ready with words of compassion and praise. I wish there was something I could do to help ease your tension and situation. For what it's worth, I am so sorry you are having to deal with these issues.... dementia is really more than enough! My heart goes out to you ((hugs))
Awww, Nkki, how sweet....your love and courageous battle for your beloved Lynn inspires me EVERY day and I have faith I too can take care of my hb too. You are truly my hero and I aways look to you for inspiration, dedication, advice. But to have you actually address me personally, I'm over the moon! I don't think I can ever care for Rich the way you care for Lynn (not that I don't want to) but your heart is so much kinder and purer than mine. Thank you so much for the kind words and support. Please know you and Lynn are always in my thoughts and prayers. You too are a true warrior. I think I'm a warrior in training. My heart and soul are not as generous as yours but every day I strive to be better and offer support and advice to help others as they,including you, helped me when I was so angry, confused and clueless. This website is a blessing as are all my friends here. Thank you.
See, that right there is what I am talking about..... you made a point of not only thanking me for my comment, but you reached out, right into my heart to let me know how much you care. I simply can't help but read your posts now with a bit of pride, thinking.. WOW! You have come a long way baby! <huge smile>
Your heart is PLENTY kind enough! Here's the God's honest truth, late stage allows for the luxury of opening your heart again. Let me try to explain what I mean.....for instance, though Lynn losing his ability to walk was crushing!! It also relieved the stress and worry of "oh no! What has he done now" There was also great peace knowing he was SAFE!
His anger and aggression are completely gone now. There is an old saying I like, It's hard to kiss the lips at night, that chewed your ass out all day. How true right!!! Trust me when I tell you I was no saint. I did always know it was the disease and not him, and I did also cling so desperately to the love, but there were days.... yeah, it was hard!
Now he is so gentle, so kind and thoughtful again. It is very easy to open my heart to him again, to shower him with love. I am no longer bogged down, drowning, in the survival mode of the difficult (impossible) middle stages. AND I am never had to deal with all that you are right now....... "My heart and soul are not as generous as yours" ..... ahhhhh, I STRONGLY disagree! ♥♥
TO.....LFL Thank you so much for reviving this pertinent thread, and of course, for all your advice whenever I seem to hit a bump in my road. I have been reading blogs, threads, and comments.....trying to take it all in and REMEMBER IT ALL. This forum has such a wealth of information to be found. But it's the people on it that REALLY make the difference!!!!! The advice and compassion ALL OF YOU WILLINGLY PROVIDE IS PRICELESS!!!! I just wish I was in a position to help new members myself. But I'm sure the day will come sooner than I think. :0(