Is Namenda effective for Alzheimer's beyond 5 years of taking it?

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daughterdonna Asked October 2016

Is Namenda effective for Alzheimer's beyond 5 years of taking it?

My mother is new to Memory Care in an assisted living facility. The in-house medical group recommends discontinuing her Namenda due to "scientific evidence" that it is no longer useful or effective after 5 years of use. Her Geriatric Specialist indicates it can be discontinued for 1 month and if there is a decline, my mom can go back on it. She is in the Severe Stage. What do we do? She walks, talks, laughs and is full of joy. She loves music and participating in small group activities. She requires support with all activities of daily living and hygiene.

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score 0 · Answer 1

My writing lost a lot of meaning when I edited some things. Namenda has found not to be effective at all in the earlier stages of Alz. It is only beneficial for some people who are in later stages.

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score 0 · Answer 2

Namenda has been found to be effective in some people with moderate to late stage Alzheimer's. I don't know if there is a time limit to its effectiveness. Namenda would probably not be useful if she is in a very late stage, even if it was useful at an earlier time. Right now there is nothing that seems to help with the last stage of Alzheimer's except to try to keep the person as comfortable as possible.

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score 1 · Answer 3

The scientific evidence is all over the place for dementia drugs. Mostly they don't work very well at all, but for people for whom they do work they are very worthwhile!

If I were in your shoes I'd go with her geriatrician's advice. Discontinue, observe, and re-introduce it if it seems to make a difference. Have the doctor put that in writing, in hopes of reducing a hassle if you do decide to put her back on it.

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score 0 · Answer 4

What other meds is she on and how do they interact with Namenda? I would ask her pharmacist what he thinks.

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Is Namenda effective for Alzheimer's beyond 5 years of taking it?

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