My Mom 90yo with dementia has been on Aricept for 2 years. Her memory has gradually declined over that time to the point she needs 24 hour a day assistance. We are considering stopping the Aricept as it doesn't seem to be improving the quality of her life. We are not interested in increasing the strength or in switching to one of the other AD drugs. We are more interested in just letting nature take its course since the meds are reported to only delay the progression of the disease.
What are your experiences with stopping Aricept and other drugs used to treat Alzheimers Disease?
(Alzhiemer's was a misdiagnosis - he had severe PTSD - and undiagnosed congestive heart failure.)
By Aricepts own in package insert (read the fine print) -
It takes up to 3 months to see difference - then either decline will slow down, be the same or get worse. (as in our case - way worse)
After 6 months - 1 year dementia will return to where it was before taking drug and decline will continue.
If it helps your loved one great - but be prepared for it if it makes matters worse or the living hell it was for us. - until it was discontinued
The change in her for those two weeks was so dramatic that I have decided that I won't be taking any statins.
Mom has reached the point where she's unable to be left alone, needs help dressing and other ADLs. It does not seem that she is getting any benefit from the Aricept anymore. She also is very short of breath anymore ( seeing a pulmonologist for this - no answer why) especially in the morning (takes her Aricept at bedtime). The literature on Aricept states that it can increase asthma or lung problems. It also states it can cause vivid dreams and Mom wakes up every morning stating " I just run so much in my dreams that I'm so tired when I get up." So, my thought is if the Aricept is no longer working and may possibly be causing these side effects, it's time to stop it. I don't see at this point in her life the benefit of putting her on any other dementia med.
For my mother, too many side effects. Stopped it.
For my husband, excellent results, especially in eliminating hallucinations. He took it for 9 years.
Each case is different. The dementia drugs are worth trying, but not continuing unless they help.
See All Answers