Neurologist said since my husband sometimes picks off the Exelon patch, we should stop it for a week and see if he gets any worse!! He claims drug companies used to recommend using Exelon patch AND Namenda, which my husband also gets. Now the drug companies say it is not necessary to use both. I told the Dr. I would use up the 2 month supply we have (at $500 per month) and then make a decision. PCP and pharmacist say my decision is OK, but stop short of saying the neurologist is wrong or the drug companies have changed their recommendations. Anyone have experience with this?
The center of his back?, Upper thigh? Lower back?.
Frankly I think none of this stuff works at all after a point.
And who is to say what the decline would have been without the drug.
Problem is as care givers we are caught in the middle.
Do you take the chance that there will be a decline without the drug...or do you have your loved one start a drug regimen that may or may not work. That may or may not have side effects. That you may or may not know when it stops working if it ever worked at all.
If you are happy with the way the drug is working and you want to have him continue with it look for other places that the patch could be placed. If it does not seem like the drug is working ask how it can be discontinued with the least number of side effects. Would he have to do a lower dose for a week then a lower dose than that until he is down to a point where it can be stopped? (This is called titrating down).