Hi Paul55,
My husband has been taking this for many years. Initially I did not rush to get a prescription for him because I had the impression that those longstanding drugs were not very effective. But people in my support group indicated that they saw benefits. One person said that she estimated that she got two years of almost no decline in her sister. Of course, everyone is different and we do not have a "control" husband to use to test whether the drug had an effect. :).

Our gerontologist recommended both Donepezil and MEMANTINE together. He has remained on both. At one point the doctor suggested we stop using that Donepezil, believing that it had had all the effect that could be expected. But my husband started to have lower moods so we put him back on it and he is doing fine. Now, when I talk to people starting the Alzhiemer's/dementia journey, I recommend that they ask their doctors right away about both of these medications. They are not a cure, but if they give you a couple of years of abatement, that is a great thing! In addition, they tolerated well by many people. So many of the new drugs come with very scary and very likely side effects.

Wishing you well. I know it is scary at the beginning. Regardless of the test results, use this as an opportunity to tune your lives to the things that bring you the most joy.