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The Sadness of Alzheimers


DrStool

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This is so sad.

 

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20100901_Delco_man__88__stabbed_his_wife_-_then_waited_for_police.html

 

A couple years ago, when my Mom was staying with us and became violent for a time, I went the other way, gathered up all the sharp knives in the house and locked them in the trunk of my car. I was afraid that she would come in and stab me while I was sleeping. Turns out, it was a phase that passed when we took her off all her psychiatric meds, including her Alzheimer's drug and a low dose anti-depressant.

 

Ever since we took her off the medications she has been much, much better. If you have a parent with dementia and the doctors are drugging him or her and they are not doing well, I would tell you to take them off the drugs and let their system's clear. They should do better. Of course, some people become agitated and violent without the meds. But I think that aricept and namenda are poisons that make the Alzheimer's patient worse, not better. The disease is going to take it's course one way or the other. The only thing accomplished by these drugs is to make the drug companies richer and Medicare poorer.

 

Stop the pharmaceutical fraud.

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with all due respect, and great sympathy for what you have had to deal with,

 

there are many forms of Alzheimer's. I think that eventually it will be recognized that, like autism, there are many different syndromes with similar symptoms, that are all lumped into the broad category. Indeed many or most people are NOT helped by medications such as Aricept and Namenda. However, some people have found that their loved one's violent behavior was greatly helped with the CORRECT combination of antidepressants and/or antipsychotic, or tranquilizing, drugs.

 

VERY few doctors are truly proficient with medication for Alzheimer's patients. It's essential to have a physician who is both conversant with these drugs and who has experience treating these patients, and also who is willing to take the caregiver's opinion seriously, and change/adjust medications as needed.

 

From what you wrote, it doesn't sound like your mother's doctor was aggressive enough with follow-ups, and was not prescribing the correct drugs. Indeed the very antidepressants and tranquilizers that are meant to help, can trigger violence in an Alzheimer's patient. However, there ARE drugs that help that behavior -- but it varies from patient to patient.

 

I urge anyone who is dealing with this, not to hesitate to get a second opinion from another doctor, and continue trying medications for behavioral issues.

 

I also think that Namenda and Aricept help only a small percentage, but I know people who have reported that it DID help their loved ones for a short period of time (like a year). I think that all these drug companies are going down the wrong track. Do a Google search for "Coconut oil" and "MCT oil" and Alzheimer's and you may find some interesting data.

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This is so sad.

 

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20100901_Delco_man__88__stabbed_his_wife_-_then_waited_for_police.html

 

A couple years ago, when my Mom was staying with us and became violent for a time, I went the other way, gathered up all the sharp knives in the house and locked them in the trunk of my car. I was afraid that she would come in and stab me while I was sleeping. Turns out, it was a phase that passed when we took her off all her psychiatric meds, including her Alzheimer's drug and a low dose anti-depressant.

 

Ever since we took her off the medications she has been much, much better. If you have a parent with dementia and the doctors are drugging him or her and they are not doing well, I would tell you to take them off the drugs and let their system's clear. They should do better. Of course, some people become agitated and violent without the meds. But I think that aricept and namenda are poisons that make the Alzheimer's patient worse, not better. The disease is going to take it's course one way or the other. The only thing accomplished by these drugs is to make the drug companies richer and Medicare poorer.

 

Stop the pharmaceutical fraud.

 

That's a sad story Doc. Glad to hear your mom is doing better. I agree 100%. Stop the fraud now crooks. :angry:

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just a couple days ago, i discontinued a patient's namenda. her alzheimer's was deeply advanced, nearly terminal, and the drug wasn't doing her squat.

 

whenever i see a patient taking unnecessary or even detrimental meds, i simply discontinue them and inform their primary care physicians of the change. i streamline their regimens whenever i can, and doing so has saved many patients from harm and early death.

 

i know quite a few physicians who're reluctant to discontinue meds initiated by others. that kind of deference makes no sense. nixing an offending drug is a therapeutic maneuver.

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