A 65-year-old male asked:
how do you know when aricept and namenda (memantine) have stopped working?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
Dr. Eric Farbman answered
Neurology 26 years experience
Tough to be sure: These medicines are designed to help slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Since it doesn't necessarily improve symptoms, it can be difficult to know if it is working or not. There have been some studies with Aricept (donepezil) showing that even in severely demented individuals, there is still benefit. If there is no quality of life (i.e. No communication, no adls), i would stop the medicine.
5196 viewsAnswered Feb 15, 2019
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A 49-year-old member asked:
What are the side effects of stopping Aricept and namenda (memantine)?
2 doctor answers • 16 doctors weighed in
Dr. Carlos Satulovsky answered
Psychiatry 28 years experience
Worsening: Back to a baseline, significantly lower level of functioning is the most common phenomenon, which is seen by family/staff as a sudden worsening of the dementia (depending on the stage), it may consist of forgetting names, inability to execute simple tasks, not recognizing people/places, incontinence, etc.
4840 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
90,000 U.S. doctors in 147 specialties are here to answer your questions or offer you advice, prescriptions, and more. Get help now:
Last updated Feb 15, 2019
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