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Did medication help symptoms of Vascular Dementia?
Hi, my mother in law who is 77 years old was recently diagnosed with vascular dementia. The doctor started her on Memantine (Namenda) about 3 weeks ago. He says Aricept would cause more side effects. Since she has been on Memantine, I feel that her symptoms have gotten worse. Before starting this medication, she was able to do her day-to-day things, but since she started this medication, we have noticed confusion, sedation, and a general feeling of being miserable. She does not seem like her normal self. We are reevaluating whether this medication is worth it to continue as we don’t want to compromise on her quality of life. She doesn’t want get out of the bed at all and wants to sleep all day. She feels helpless and even more depressed. Before starting this medication, she use to move around more and do her routine things.
I spoke to the doctor and he suggests that we finish the titration pack and then we will reassess. She is currently at 15mg per day and by next week will be on the 20mg max per day. I’m contemplating if I should contact the doctor again about discontinuing this medication as increasing it more might make her symptoms worse than they already are.
Please advise of anyone has gone through a similar experience. Do the symptoms get better? Should we continue? Or if this is how it will continue to be then shall we discontinue now?
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Please don't, just wait for the next stroke. My wife is similar but also has Factor V blood disorder, which complicates it more. I spent thousands of hours reading, researching, watching videos, talking to Johns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic, UNC Memory Care, counseling with Pamela D. Wilson in Colorado, blogging, nutritionists, brain nutritionists on and on and on and on.
Do Something. Get Proactive! You will both benefit.
Read my Post on July 11th. I developed a six-point plan. My wife didn't just slow progression; she got better. Not well, but better. I'm not just saying that. Her Neurologist notes say "She seems to be getting better" a year after I started my Proactive approach.
If the axons/cells are dead, you can't do anything, but they aren't ALL dead. Those can possibly repair, regenerate. I'm not saying things will ever be what they were before, but they can at least slow, considerably, and probably stop, and may heal some. Anything is better than what we have now.....Right?
What I do for my wife takes time. It's work, it's hard to keep up with, but it's worth it, she's worth it. I work full time, from home now, and I can do it. Blood is the central focus. Get the blood flowing, keep the cholesterol down down down, exercise her brain. Just look at what I do. It works! On number 5 my self I spelled Specialization. It should say ... Socialization. Socialization is very important. It involves most of the other 6 points. When you socialize, her pulse rate goes up, her brain exercises, she connects to speech patterns.
Whatever you do........Don't just wait on the next stroke. I don't know what the next day holds, but I do know that when I got Proactive and didn't just look to the doctors for the cookie-cutter answers, my wife had a better chance. I follow what the Neurologists say, but I treat that as the minimum we can do. Our PCP, we've had over 28 years, and consider a friend said, "You realize you're watching Karen die"? I thought... The heck I am, let's go get well baby!! That was two years ago and now she's better but not because of waiting on the doctors or the next stroke.
We all have to handle our situation the best we can, and what's best for our loved one. My way may not be your way but it's working for us.
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6 ReactionsYes, her pulse is generally in the 30s-40s but she had 31 instances of SVT (pulse 100 >) during the 2 weeks she was wearing the ZIO heart monitor, The cardiologist she saw recently doesn't think it's anything to worry about. He's an idiot, same as the previous cardiologist I took her to. The first one was unconcerned that my sister could not walk 5 feet without gasping for air. 1.5 days later I rushed her to the ER where she was admitted with a massive saddle clot (pulmonary embolism) across both lungs. Ugh! It's a miracle even more people don't die at the hands of these esteemed medical "professionals".
Hoping the electrophysiologist she is seeing this weekend can provide some answers.
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2 ReactionsWow. You must have a direct line to the maker 🙂 Thank you for your prayers!
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1 ReactionWe all do, if we want it.
I could use another prayer, if you could. I've been praying daily but no answers are coming.
My sister now has extreme vertigo and level 9 headache (like a migraine). The neurosurgeon says it's not related to the pituitary tumor. Her electrophysicist implanted a loop recorder yesterday (pulled in the procedure 2 weeks) to see if it is related to her arrhythmia. She has prescriptions for vertigo and headaches but they are not helping and she screams in pain every time she exerts herself in any way...just standing to go to the bathroom is an ordeal. She has meds because I rushed her to the emergency room twice in the past week (Boston hospital and a local one). I am beside myself.
Does your sister have an advanced medical directive?