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My Mom takes Aricept, namenda, and Celexa the Generic brand. Is this good for her? Sometimes she seens worse with the medicine. If I run out of medicine for a day she sometimes seems better. Is this normal for dementia?
I'd take a look at the antidepressant Celexa. My son has had to try many antidepressants, and many make him worse. The fact that she is better when she runs out of meds makes me suspicious of the Celexa. You may want to ask the doctor to wean her from that and wait a bit, and if she still needs an antidepressant, try a different one. Please remember I'm not a doctor. I'm speaking from my own (and my son's) experience, plus some of my friends on antidepressants. Not everyone benefits from them all, and some people find one kind makes them worse. That much I've witnessed in several people.
Good luck with this. It can be very hard to do, even when a person doesn't have dementia. But you have a good clue. I'd run with it.
Carol
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I totally agree with your desire to have a simple blood test to diagnose which form of dementia your loved ones have. If it were only that easy. LOTS more research needs to be done, as well as educating the general public. This site goes a long way to do the latter.
I have vascular dementia, just as your friend's father does. If I can be of any help, I am here for her or him. I suggest that she get him involved with this site AND that she encourage him to exercise his mind and body as much as possible.
Keep up the good job!
Leah
Another condition that mimics many of Alzheimer's symptoms and is often overlooked is Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH). This can be alleviated by inserting a shunt into the brain cavity to drain excess fluid that causes pressure on the brain, creating symptoms similar to other forms of dementia and can often be diagnosed through a CT-scan followed by a lumbar puncture for confirmation. We found this out too late for my mother, but perhaps others can benefit from this information.
I'm glad you mentioned that. I knew about it, but blocked it out. Inserting a shunt is what caused my dad's instant dementia. We went through hell. However, the pressure was from fluid building up behind scar tissue from a WWII injury, and likely the scar tissue was a contributing factor to the horrible outcome of the surgery. Generally, a shunt operation is safe and effective.
Carol