Namenda vs no Namenda

Caref4Mom · July 15

My mom (77) was diagnosed with Alzheimer's formally a year ago but has been showing signs of memory loss for about 15 years. She is on Aricept now but at her last doctor's appointment it was suggested they add Namenda in 6 months to a year. I'm not sure why the suggestion and not starting right away but I do know that it was a bad appointment (she was very combative and angry, refused to take her memory test and got very agitated when her neurologist mentioned I had called. She prefers to believe only my father, her husband and primary caregiver, know about the diagnosis). Anyway my concern is this. She has had about 4 falls in the past 3 months. All of which she has needed help to get up. The dizziness side effect of this medication concerns me especially with her history of falls. Am I overthinking this? Should we move forward?

fesk · July 16

Has your mother been checked for a UTI or other infection? Those can cause the behavior issues and falls you have mentioned. I recommend trying to resolve that first.

For the Namenda, yes there is risk of dizziness, drowsiness, etc. Usually it is taken at night to help avoid these issues. Namenda is given when there are more advanced symptoms, so that is probably why the doctor recommended giving in the near future. It is common to start with Aricept and then add Namenda.

With any medication change, I'd recommend monitoring your mother closely until it is known how she reacts. She should be assisted getting up from a seated position, etc. She may have side effects initially which go away. There is really no way to know how she will react. My advice is to keep a close eye, track any changes and discuss all with her doctor.

Namenda vs no Namenda

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