New to group - medications?

meghan1313

Hi,

My mother has early onset Alzheimer’s and she is not on any medication. Should we be asking her doctor for medication to slow symptoms?

We are going to buy a Vielight helmet for photobiomodulation therapy at home as well as I plan to take her to receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy weekly. She’s also taking mold binders under the supervision of a Bredesen doctor but that doesn’t seem to help since she’s still declining.

she has always been extremely healthy but unfortunately it’s genetic in our family.

I would appreciate input from others on what has been helpful in your experience.

M1

The therapies you are considering are expensive and unproven. I wouldn't waste your money. If there were something that worked, we'd all know about it. I realize this may offend you, but I believe in evidence-based medical therapy. There are plenty of charlatans out there who are willing to prey on the desperate and are happy to take your money.

housefinch

I am very sorry you’re going through this. I would save my $ for my family member’s memory care expenses, personally. I’m sorry to sound uncaring but you are giving money to people who have enriched themselves by selling unproven products to desperate families. And when people pay lots of money, they tend to believe they are seeing improvements, however small. I know—I have 2 children with autism and could be spending $$$$ on unproven therapies for them. Please consider using your money for your mom’s future care needs, unless your financial resources are endless. I’m in medicine and know firsthand the agony of losing a parent too early. I also have seen patients almost bankrupt themselves chasing non-cures. Best wishes.

Emily 123

Hi Meghan,

Many providers will start someone on Aricept in the early stages. https://www.drugs.com/aricept.html

It can have some unpleasant side effects at the recommended dose of 10 mg daily, like GI upset, in which case the lower 5 mg dose might be given. The boards here are divided--some of us note a difference when a loved on is on it, some not so much. You can use the magnifying glass on the upper right side of the page to search for those threads.

In the middle stages it's not unusual to see a switch from the Aricept to Namenda. https://www.drugs.com/search.php?searchterm=namenda