My husband (age 55) has had declining cognition for quite awhile. He has been on disability since he was 38. He suffers from high blood pressure, asthma, urological problems, sleeps excessively, depression, and problematic lack of mobility (due to 4 back surgeries and 3 neck surgeries). He also has kyphosis and falls about once a month or more. His primary doctor feels his cognitive problems result from 2 suicide attempts years ago when his brain was deprived of oxygen for a time. Another doctor (a neurologist) says that his problems result from the long-term use of too much medicine. On Sunday, I drove us by the house we lived in until 2006. About an hour after we got home, it was obvious my husband was not in reality. He started crying and talked about wanting to go home, that (our home) was not his home, he didn't recognize anything, and he mentioned several times he wanted to see his mother (who we haven't seen in several years). This continued the rest of the day. He kept calling me by my first name like I wasn't here. This morning he seemed better, so I went to work. While at work, he left me a voicemail on my phone and called the office phone, asking me to come to the "new place" and that someone was coming to take him to the "new place." I can't believe that a medicine that is supposed to slow the decline of cognition and help some with memory and cognition, could cause a reaction like this. I have never seen him like this. Could driving by our old house have triggered all this? I wish we never would have driven by that house. Or could it be a reaction to one of the other meds he takes (he takes a total of 20 different ones).
If he is seeing more than one doctor (which seems likely), I hope they each know all the medication (including any OTC) he takes. But you've been at this a number of years and I suppose you know that.
Drug reactions are highly individualized. Certainly Aricept doesn't cause that kind of reaction in the overwhelming majority of patients who take it. But that doesn't mean it is impossible for that reaction to occur, especially considering the number of other drugs your husband takes.
Certainly you need to discuss this with the doctor who prescribed Aricept and perhaps with the other doctors familiar with his case. A sudden and severe change in behavior needs to be investigated.
It sounds like you and your husband really have a lot of health issues to deal with, and at such a young age. I wish you a speedy resolution to this particular crisis.
She had a stroke so has aphasia, but now is aware of her difficulties and smiles and jokes about it instead of not even noticing she has it. She is in a Rehab where the staff is almost 6:1--much better. I hope you are receiving positive help and encouragement from your family and friends. Praise God you are still keeping your covenant of marriage, and looking for ways to bless your husband. I prayed for you today. May the Lord bless you and give you continued grace. Is your husband open to reading the Bible (particularly Psalms) and John 1? As a Christian I receive much needed grace, comfort and strength from God's word. God bless you! I hope your doctor will be able to come up with some answers.Please keep us updated.
Internist said if symptoms started in a few days after starting drug (this applies to any new drug) that it most likely is the drug that is at fault for any reactions.
By Aricepts own literature - it takes 3 or 4 months to work. It May not work, it may work for about 6 months, or it may make the person worse. After 6 months the person will be where he would have been if he had not taken the drug.
THIS DRUG IS POISON!. (My husband had Normal pressure hydrocephalus and PTSD( from the war he served in had come back)
Many things cause cognition problems. Please check out all drugs, vitamin shortages, heart problems, anything that might be currently causing a lack of oxygen.
Aricept is on a level with LSD as far as I am concerned. I highly suspect DR.s' receive a "good payment" for prescribing this drug.
I am sorry for what you are going thru, take care.
I do agree you should always consult with your doctor for any medication changes. I did consult with the doctor and did research in the PDR and other many medical sites. By the way this supplement is included in the PDR (Physicians Desk Reference) and many physicians utilize these products. This is NOT a supplement that you will find in natural food or vitamin stores. This is actually not a vitamin or herb. Its a combination of a molecule that has been in research of over 50 years. Go to the site and you can print a PDF fact sheet which you may take to your physician, so he/she can determine if this would be helpful for your husband. Good luck...I hope it works well for you.
desert192, I am truly sorry for what you and your husband have gone through. The basic problem was a misdiagnosis. I've had some experience with that myself, and it is hellacious. I was being treated with anti-anxiety meds for what turned out to be diabetes that became life-threatening before the mistake was discovered. (Funny how none of those anti-anxiety drugs fixed y blood sugar levels.)
My husband has been taking Aricept for 8 years. When he first started taking it a neighbor, a well-respected pharmacist, came over and explained to me a lot of what you said about the drug. He said not to expect a large improvement and that the best we could hope for was to help slow down the rate of decline for a while. He was basing that advice on studies in Alzheimer's patients, and his observations of that population. But my husband does not have ALZ. He has Lewy Body Dementia, and as it turns out, Aricept is far more effective in this population! For almost all of the loved ones in my local support group and online group for this disease, it has made a remarkable difference in cognition and in reducing hallucinations. So, sorta of slightly good for ALZ, remarkably good for Lewy Body, and disasterous for your husband, who had neither of these conditions but who was misdiagnosed with one of them. I am truly sorry for the reaction your husband had, but Aricept is not poison and is not LSD.
Another example of a drug that has very different outcomes for different populations is Haldol, frequently used in emergency rooms or nursing homes to calm psychotic behavior. It is often effective for ALZ patients, but can be fatal or cause permanent damage in up to 50% of patients with LBD. My husband and I carry wallet cards with this information. The national Lewy Body Dementia Association has education of emergency room doctors as one of its goals. A good drug or a sort-of-good drug for one population can be dreadful for another population. That is one of the reasons misdiagnosis can be so destructive.
Doctors do not get payments for every Rx they write. Who would keep track, how would they prove it, and who would do the paying? Not all doctors are equally smart about handing out prescriptions, but I doubt that greed motivates their mistakes. Smart doctors try ONE drug at a time, start on very small doses, watch reactions closely (for example, tell caregivers exactly what to look for and call them about) and increase to a therauputic dose gradually when they are sure the patient tolerates it well. Not all doctors are smart about that.
Of course we keep the drug companies alive. We keep the automobile companies alive by buying cars and the farmer's markets alive by buying locally grown produce, and the incontinence products companies alive by buying pads. So what? That is hardly a reason to stop using drugs, driving cars, or eating cucumbers.
I would very much not want to be on this journey with my husband without the help of the drugs he takes.
My advice to KariSue remains the same. Seek medical advice on this change in behavior. Play detective and write down clues to discuss with the professionals.
Good luck to all of us!
Absolutely, confer with the physicians. Even if your husband was taking no other mediction, the Aricept might be the incorrect choice of medication for him. If I understand you correctly, you saw a marked difference in his behavior after he began the medication? I, personally, am wary of generic brands due to the fillers, but that's just me. Check back with the docs.
BLESSINGS AND I PRAY FOR ALL WHO READ THIS BOARD.
DPRAYS
Eight years ago I was given about a half a dozen meds, sequentially, to treat anxiety. Turned out I had diabetes, which my doctor failed to recognize in spite of text book symtoms. None of those anti-anxiety pills did a darn thing for my blood sugar levels, and I wound up in ICU. Now, those pills might be effective against anxiety, but I wouldn' know -- I didn't have anxiety! :)
Aricept was developed to treat Alzheimer's disease. For that it is of marginal or questionable effectiveness in most patients. I think those television ads that make it seem like a wonder drug are immoral. I can see why the VA would not want to waste resources on such a small potential benefit.
But it turns out that Aricept and that class of drug is far more effective in treating Lewy Body dementia and Parkinson's with Dementia. The brain pathology in these diseases is quite different than AD. My husband (85, LBD) has been taking Aricept (and now a generic) for 8 years, with very observable and measurale success. Did it cure him? No, of course not. But he can think much more clearly than before he started the drug. His quality of life is significantly improved. That the VA won't supply Aricept for vets with Alzheimer's makes some sense. That they won't supply it to vets with Lewy Body Dementia seems very strange. (I don't think they should supply anti-anxiety meds to control diabetes, either, by the way. :))
I commend you for charting your dad's behavior and monitoring closely the effect of drugs and absence of drugs. Your father is lucky to have you as his advocate. I don't see a mention of your father's diagnosis. In any case, he should take only the drugs that are effective for him, and it sounds like you are doing a good job of monitoring that.
I think that I am doing a good job for my husband, too, and I'm very satisfied with the approach of the specialist he sees at the Mayo Clinic. As it turns out, several drugs, including Aricept, are effective for my husband. But the same principle applies -- if it isn't working, don't keep taking it.
Wouldn't life be easier on caregivers if one size did fit all in treating elders?
To watch some of the commercials for that drug you would think it was a miracle. For some people it can be very effective. What did the doctor say about how long it should take before you notice anything? How long should you continue using it? Did the doctor caution you to look for any particular side effects? I don't blame doctors for prescribing this drug for people with dementia -- it might help. It does for some people. But I think it should be considered a trial, and not a permanent medication until results are seen.
What is your husband's diagnosis?
He has multiple diagnoses of a variety of conditions. His doctor said he is likely too young for alzheimers, but it is definitely some kind of dementia. She mentioned that a definitive diagnosis of some kinds of dementias and alzheimers can't be made until autopsy. She feels that his declining cognition is likely due to long-term effects of his brain being without oxygen a couple times during 2 suicide attempts years ago. Another of his doctors feels his problems result from the long-term use of too much medicine. Added to all this, he has a severe lack of mobility, due to physical deconditioning. He can't exercise because he can't breathe when doing so, and he can't breathe because he can't exercise.
Is your husband on oxygen? It would seem like being able to exercise some would have a big benefit.
You certainly have way more than your share of challenges to deal with. My heart goes out to you.