Namenda , anyone know of this drug??

charley0419

Neurologist just put my DW on Namenda anyone know anything about this drug or someone who took

jfkoc

Commonly prescribed. Usually for middle or late stages...Aricept commonly early stage. There is a lot of Infor online. Its effectiveness is still debated.

PastorB

Hi Charley0419,

My DW has been on both Namenda and Aricept almost since diagnosis with moderate AD. Aricept is thought to improve memory, awareness, and ability to function. Like jfkoc said, it is usually given in early stages. Namenda is thought to possibly do the same, but is given a little later in the disease progression. The two drugs work differently. At the early stages, I would have tried anything that might help. To my mind now, it is impossible to know if the drugs had any real impact, but if they bought her a little time it was worth it. She is no longer on either one as of a month ago since she is in the severe stages. Hope it helps your LO, but hope even more that research produces something new and more effective for all.

mrahope

My DH had taken Namenda for some months, with the neurologist increasing the dose at one point. My/our experience has been less than impressive. Neither of us noticed much, if any, improvement. We were told by our doctor that it was being given more to "preserve" what memory/cognition he still had rather than to improve these things. Now we've moved and the new doctor said it's up to us whether we'd like to continue or stop it. DH wants to stop, and since I've seen no objective change, that's what we're doing. I felt like we had to at least try something, but now it doesn't seem worth the effort. YMMV

annie51

My DH has been on Namenda for a while now with no noticeable side effects. People ask "is it helping" but you really have no way of knowing unless you can compare to a clone that was not taking it. But he did seem to have a year or so where he was still in a pretty good state. It doesn't prevent the decline, but it supposedly slows it. My feeling is, it's worth a try.

ImMaggieMae

My husband has been on Memantine which is the generic form of Nemenda. At 5mg per day I didn’t see much difference. At 5mg twice per day it had significant positive effects. Empathy returned and he smiled more. Even well into stage 6 now, these benefits have remained. He also takes Risperidone, so some of it might be that. The Memantine did seem to make him more sleepy in the morning at first. It’s hard to tell how much is medication related sometimes and how much is progression.

Whyzit

My DH has been on mementine 8 years. His neuropsychologist wants him to stay on it because he is quite mellow and easy to manage. She is concerned that if we discontinue it his demeanor would change thus make taking care of him difficult.

SDianeL

My DH is on Memantine for over a year but I haven't noticed any difference. The Neurologist said it might help his focus. The only thing that helped his demeanor is Risperidone. We're now going to try an anti-depressant in addition to the Risperidone.

Jeff86

My DW was on memantine and donepezil (Namenda and Aricept) when first diagnosed. The aim was to slow progression. As others have noted, it’s impossible to know if it helped—can’t know if progression would have been faster without them. I am dubious.

DW’s neurologist was reluctant to stop them longer after they likely stopped being effective, as some clinical experience suggests a decline upon cessation.

With hospice’s agreement, we’ve weaned her off them. No noticeable impact.

JJ401

DH is on both. At a visit in the spring the neurologist increased the memantine to 23mg. I didn't see any improvement, but since the decline seems to have stopped (for a while), the neurologist considered it a success.

Tip - check around for prices for these meds. They can vary widely. Consider mail order (CostPlus) and GoodRX at a local pharmacy. Check multiple pharmacies for GoodRX as it varies by pharmacy. Sometimes it is cheaper to not use your insurance.

JudyVE

My DH has been taking namenda / memantine for about 6 months. He has been taking Aricept over a year. I don’t see that either drug has been effective in slowing his decline. DH has declined a lot since Jan 2023 - while on Aricept. Namenda started around May 2023 so perhaps it needs more time to take effect but so far I don’t see a difference. I keep a daily log to track memory, orientation, executive function & some other items. In January 2023 he could fix his breakfast, fry an egg, make toast, coffee etc. But then one day in February, he needed help, just like that. When DH retired 10 years ago and I was still working, he took over household chores such as laundry - clothes were folded very neatly (much more so than when I did it! LOL) He is unable to do this anymore and lost this skill sometime in the Spring. Doesn’t understand how to operate the washer/dryer. He used to vacuum, but without help turning the machine on/off he can’t do it now I asked him to stop driving in March not because he was getting lost, but b/c his reflexes are too slow and he couldn’t remember how to operate the vehicle. He can still help with putting dishes away and some kitchen clean up. He can dress himself, but I need to help him choose what to wear. Showering - I supervise this and it happens about 3 times a week. He has forgotten how to clean up after himself after using the toilet. He has some incontinence. These are major changes that occurred while he was on Aricept. I don’t see that Namenda is slowing things down any. At our last visit, doctor suggested we might try a medication “holiday” next spring. We’ll see. I’m skeptical that these drugs are any help.

M1

Figures I've cited before will generally show that one in twelve people will be helped by the anticholinesterase drugs like Namenda and Aricept, one in twelve will have a serious side effect, and for the remaining ten out of twelve they don't seem to have either positive or negative effects. Pretty bleak...