How well does your Aricept work for dementia?

@renee1941 - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Good to hear donepezil (Aricept) is helping.

Will you share more about the gentleman you are speaking of? Is this a partner or friend, and does he have a dementia diagnosis at this point?

@lisalucier ota
this is my husband . He had the three hour test at Abbott Minnesota, He was diagnoised with Mild cognitive impairment Now he has short term memory loss but only shows up with me. He seems fine to others. I feel I may be getting it but my drs say I have too much on my mind Taking over everything gets a little mush. He has trouble understanding what I am saying

@renee1941 - your saying your doctors said you had too much on your mind reminds me of when my son was making remarks like I was losing my memory some a while back. So, I asked my primary care doctor about that. She asked me a few questions about it and then said I simply have "mom brain" (I have kids at home). Too much on the mind at once and too much going on, I guess.

I have very mild MCI. I caught it & asked for blood test. Ptau 217 is .3 Amyloid is currently normal. I have a lot of “reserve” and a healthy 77 year old female. Neurologist will test again in January & is suggesting Kisunla if my scans are show more advance. I can’t decide if the 18 months of feeling crummy is worth it all. I’d love your opinion. Live fully now or save brain for slower progression of AD?

I decided not to pursue infusion because I have had a mini stroke which increases the risk of a brain bleed and benign positional vertigo which increases Rick of falling. If I was in my 60’s I would have taken the risk but I’m 80 and the process itself does not enhance your quality of life while you’re doing it. I hsve other health issues which already diminish that. My wife and I really struggled with this decision. So we’ll see what happens.

We started my wife at 5 mg, went to 10 mg, she had diarrhea and had to take an Imodium once a week, then she had nausea, and we went back to 5 mg, and finally stopped the Aricept. It did not seem to make any significant change in her memory. We started in late 2023, when she was first diagnosed with White Matter disease, and at high risk for Alzheimers, by blood test. We just stopped the Aricept last month and her nausea has abated. She refuses to go back to her Geriatrician, as she blames her for having her stopped driving. I'm not sure anything is going to change her back to the vivacious person she was. All of the medications seem to have annoying side effects, so we are just going along together now, into the sunset. She does have a caregiver, five days a week, and her Plan of Care is for 24/7. I am the 24/7 unpaid caregiver, and at some point in the not too distant future, I may have to go to the live in caregiver for her., as we are both 90, and I am not exactly a Spring Chicken. Thank goodness for our Long Term Care insurance! We are aging at home. Our kids are supportive, though most live quite a distance away, but for our daughter, who is an hour away. One day at a time.

I too have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s had the labs done APOE E3/E4. I am considering going on LEQEMBI , would really like to hear from someone who has or is on this medication.