Is it OK to stop Alzheimer's meds?
Stopping Alzheimer medications is not as logical as it may sound. Often when the meds are withdrawn the disease process actually appears to speed up. Most clinicians and professional AD carepartners opt to keep the Alzheimer person on such medications as Aricept and Namenda until the last stage of the disease where the person requires total care. The positive effects may not be measurable but there seem to be definite negative manifestations when the meds are withdrawn. The AD person may become less active, more confused, less able to participate in activities of daily living and show increased verbal difficulties. It is a decision that you and your family must make with input from the medical community. And to complicate this decision, you may not see the positive effects of these medications until they are removed. When a question involves starting or stopping Alzheimer medications, I frequently suggest contacting your pharmacist - an overlooked goldmine of information on our carepartnering journey. It is a decision that you and your family must make with input from the medical community. And to complicate this decision, you may not see the positive effects of these medications until they are removed. When a question involves starting or stopping Alzheimer medications, I frequently suggest contacting your pharmacist - an overlooked goldmine of information on our carepartnering journey.
My MIL is on Aricept and Namenda. Her daughter is over administering her meds. She does not come and have her take the morning dose and this causes a lag in her getting the full daily dosing. She comes at night and gives her her medicine but there are nights that she refuses to take the meds. Also, the Namenda is to be given 2 times a day and she is only getting one dose a day. I have wondered if this sporatic medication dosing could be what is making my MIL's symptoms seem to accelerate? These medication work on the brain and in a mind that is already damaged by dementia, could this make matters worse for her?
This is a difficult situation to be in.
As our loved ones' cognitive abilities decline (such as those living with Alzheimer's) and cross through this aware-of-my-own-limitations stage, if we keep them on medication that holds them at this level, they will grow increasing (and understandably) depressed.
If we remove medications (only do with doctor's supervision as there are withdrawal risks and other risks that go along with removing some medications such as antidepressants) our loved ones will decline moreso and there is no medication yet that will help them to regain lost ground.
As a former caregiver, I would suggest temporarily removing meds (with doctor's supervision) and allowing your MIL to cross through this painfully depressing state and then return her on meds to keep her functioning. Nothing is more life-saving to a caregiver to have a loved one who can still accomplish some of the activities of daily living (ADLs).
I am not going to stop the meds. Thanks for all of your input, I find that it is best to keep them up since she is doing so well.
We stopped mother's aricept and namenda and saw immediate improvement that lasted about three months. The Consumer Report research found that aricept only helped 1 percent of alzheimers patients. And did nothing for vascular dementia. I have found this true with my mother. i feel they are a waste of money. Money I spent on help at home. Mom is ten years in and we have decided to go with hospice care because she begs to die almost daily despite loving care by her family.
I recently did some research on this issue and then talked to Mom's psychiatrist, who handles all that type of medication. I found info that taking her off Aricept and Namenda would result in an abrupt decline that could not be recovered by starting her back on those meds. I often think it is a waste of her money, but I don't want to take a chance on further and sudden decline.
I find anonymous' post very interesting. I didn't know these statistics. I don't think Mom has AD, mainly because she has had substantial memory issues for over 15 years and has progressed very slowly through the stages of AD. About 5 years ago, a neurologist took scans that showed several "dead" areas in her brain; he said the cause of her memory loss was TIA's/ministrokes. My recent readings state that TIA's don't leave lasting debilitation because they are transient; I have trouble with reconciling that with the neurologist diagnosis.
I don't think many people try taking their loved ones off the meds because they really don't really know what to expect and don't want to do anything to make the matter worse. Leaving them on the meds is the more conservator choice.
I wonder if the standard advice will change when Aricept goes generic in November.
My mother is in year 7 of her AD diagnosis and in the early part of the late stage. I spoke with her MD and we agreed after reading the stats to take my mother off all AD meds. It is really hard to know when a medication is working or not working for an AD client because everyone progresses with the disease at different rates. I did not see any significant decline when removing my mother from the meds. She has periods (on or off the meds) where she has episodes of extreme confusion, gets really bad, then regains some previous cognitive abilities and levels off at a "new norm." I just have to adjust to the "new norm." It is difficult living through a loved one with AD, but we take what life gives us and thankful for the gifts when there is awareness momentarily and see the person they use to be for that brief instant.
My mother is on razedyne (spelling?) as she is in moderate dementia due to mini strokes. I will says this - please pay attention to her medications especially if you are not the one giving them. My mother is in an assisted living place and the new pharmacy they hired to over see everyone's medications decided to help cut cost and sent a form to her doctor (now a former dr.) to change her to aricept which is for mild dementia. YOU CANNOT GO BACKWARDS ON THIS MEDICATION. I didnt know this til I started seeing a decline in her and made an appt. with a different dr and started to gather her list of meds. I immediately got on the phone and let a few people have it..... informing them since I had Healthcare POA that I should have been consulted prior to any changes not just what the dr. said. Doctors do not know everything.
Keep in mind some people cannot take Namenda - my mother couldnt. My mother is not on any anti-depressants... at times I dont think that is necessary. Its just another way to drug someone up not to feel anything.
All this dementia stuff started back in 2001 with my mom... physically she is fine and walks every day in the area provided by the facility and is very happy. She has her moments with the memory problems but otherwise is in good health. She may outlive me.
Just wanted to let you know that taking someone off their meds for dementia/alz is not a good idea. anti-depressants ? thats another story.
My Mom is better off aricept and namenda, they cause her to be much more agitated and have hallucinations. She still has delusions off the meds but not full blown hallucinations. She was on them for years and it was by accident that I discovered that the medications were actually making her worse. She is in the mid-late stage. Medications affect everyone differently and the list of side effects for these meds is a long one.
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