Aricept as a treatment for Alzheimer's, does it help anybody?

Question

My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease and her doctors put her on Aricept. I don't think it helped at all. I doubt if she had Alzheimer's because she started to get dementia after she had a bout of congestive heart failure and got a pacemaker. I think the dementia was related to her heart problem. Also, the books I read about Alzheimer's say the people who have it live for years and years and slowly deteriorate. My mother died within two years of getting the diagnosis and she deteriorated quickly--which also sounds more the way vascular dementia is described in the books I read. Maybe it's better she died quickly, because it was so sad to see this intelligent woman lose her mind. But I digress, has anybody heard of anyone having positive results from Aricept? I don't think it helped my mother; I wonder if it helped anybody else.

Answer 1

First of all, my heart goes out to you. My mother suffered from Alzheimer's also. My mother was also an intelligent woman who began showing signs of forgetfulness at first. It was soon diagnosed as dementia. She too was prescribed Aricept. In my mother's experience it did not seem to help at all either. She was on it for about 4 years. I too probably read every book available about Alzheimer's Disease. What I also learned was that stressful events (whether family issues, living situations, health issues or simply changes in their daily routine) seem to accelerate the progression of the disease. I also strongly believe that there are hereditary factors involved, as my grandmother displayed similar symptoms when I was a child (but back then it was called senility).
Multi-infarct dementia, also known as vascular dementia such as you describe, is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer disease in the elderly. The term refers to a group of syndromes caused by different mechanisms all resulting in vascular lesions in the brain. Early detection and accurate diagnosis are important, as vascular dementia is at least partially preventable. This type of demetia is related to strokes and often goes unnoticed in it's early stages. I believe that my mother also had this type of demenia because she later suffered from more apperant strokes. Did your mother show signs of "mini" strokes in the years proceeding her diagnsis?
After the onset of my mom's diagnosis she lived for another 5-6 years. Her experience was progressive. She went from being very physically abled yet unable recall recent events along with difficulty in following instructions to becoming bedridden and unable to eat on her own. Eventually, she no longer recognized family and friends including me, with whom she lived with. During the last 6 month's of her life she could no longer talk.
Whatever the cause or reasoning behind such a scary and heartbreaking disease, I do hope that science can someday find a cure or even better treatment of the disease. It really is a devistating illness, not only to the person experiencing it but also to their family and friends.
Take care.

Answer 2

First let me say how sorry I am for your loss. I too believe it was a blessing to go fast since the mind was gone. My mom is on Aricept and Namenda for Alzheimer's but has only been on them for about 6 months. She is still loosing her memory but who can tell if it would have been more or the same without the medication. It is a very sad thing to witness.♪

Answer 3

Sorry to hear about the lose of your mom. Hope and prayers are with you, from me. Aricept can help slow the process down according to the newspaper etc. but it dose not stop the process of the illness >Aricept can make the person more tired but less irritable especially at night when they could be walking out on you while you are sleeping.

Answer 4

Yes...my aunt is on Aricept, and it drastically slowed the progression of Alzheimers, but unfortunately is not a cure

Answer 5

i grew to become into looking after an elderly family individuals member who grew to become into prescribed aricept for dementia and while i grew to become into employed by a docs place of work he additionally prescibed it as a preventive, so i think it is utilized for the two.