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 3/10 Fair --- www.tangledneuron.info http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheTangledNeuron
| A Layperson Reports on Alzheimer's and Dementia ... |
Wednesday, April 23, 2008 --- 76 days ago http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheTangledNeuron/~3/275657021/aafp-acp-guidel.htm
| When my father was struggling with memory loss, his doctors prescribed both Aricept and Namenda. If they helped his memory and thinking, I couldn’t tell. For Dad, the side effects of these medicines didn’t seem to be worth any benefit.
Dad and my nephew Chris play the piano
But for other people with memory loss, these drugs seem to be very helpful, and the side effects are generally tolerable. This wide variety in benefits and side effects may be what the American Academy of Family Practitioners (AAFP) and the American College of Physicians (ACP) were trying to address when they published new guidelines about drug treatment of dementia last month.
The guidelines are based on a meta-analysis of previous studies of the cholinesterase inhibitors Aricept, Razadyne, Exelon and tacrine (no longer commonly prescribed) as well as memantine (Namenda).
The news item on the AAFP site summarizes the guidelines for doctors this way:
If you're considering pharmacological therapy for a patient with dementia, be aware that there's only modest evidence of clinically meaningful benefit for the average patient. Therefore, conduct an individualized assessment of your patient and his or her situation, in consultation with caregivers, to determine if a trial of drug therapy is appropriate. If you decide to prescribe, choose one of the five FDA-approved drugs for dementia based on cost, ease of use, tolerability and sid ... |
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