Aricept and stroke

Common Questions and Answers about Aricept and stroke


Aricept is a drug of choice to treat Alzheimer's, but its use is not restricted. It has been observed that Aricept improves cognition and function, which includes effects on memory and performing everyday tasks, hence it would have been prescribed. The effect of memory is exerted through one such chemical called acetylcholine. This chemical helps carry messages from nerve cell to nerve cell in the brain. Memory is lost by disrupting these messages between cells.
The memory loss has improved some since 2004 with the Aricept medication and cognitive therapy, I can now add and do some subtraction. However, the multi-tasking has been getting worse with time. I have been having more mini-strokes lately so that may account for the symptoms getting worse and more loss of eyesight. You may want to get a neuropsych evaluation that will help pinpoint where the damage is. My damage was to the left frontal and subcortical lobes back then.
Seizures could be the result of the stroke. My seizures started after stroke and are controlled with medication. Whether the stroke is the cause of your mothers seizures will have to be determined by her doctors. I'm sure with your mothers other health condition and the meds she is on, the dr.s are looking to determine whether the seizures are related to the stroke, her meds or other health conditions. I wish you good luck.
And a precise nutritional log. And plenty of sunshine. When I read about alleged physicians jumping to Aricept and antidepressants without thought I am dismayed. Often stress effects appetite and nutrition. It is possible there are structural defects and infarcts, but drugs should be the last, and not the first resort. As for breaking the "rules" get a copy of "Fate is the Hunter" by Ernest Gann. "Rulebooks are paper".
Some have severe problems others have lots of less severe problems. Aricept is supposed to help if there are plaque blockages and some nerve signals can still get through. It has side effects. The smoking made your condition much worse. Episodes of high blood pressure alone could also cause this damage. Diabetes definately makes your whole body worse. By not smoking and controlling diabetes and blood pressure, you will help yourself a great deal.
I am a survivor of hemorrhagic stroke (09/14/2005) .. I have been prescribed Namenda and Aricept for cognitive functioning, sequencing and memory problems. In each case these two meds resulted in VERY DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT for me. Unfortunately, since I am not diagnosed with Alzheimers, my insurance refused to pay for these two very good medications. So ... I have learned to live without them ... In any case, my deficits are severe enough to have permanently disabled me.
not just assume it's a stroke,even though the symptoms are similar. Often Dr's can't tell the difference between a stroke and Alzheimers..sometimes the two coexist.
But she found purple area on her body (probably Purpura), and the now has stopped taking all drugs except Aricept. She does not have high blood pressure, no heart disease, no high blood lipids. Her blood test shows that CHOL, TG, HDL, LDL are within normal range. R80 whole blood viscosity, ESR (20. 0 MM), and RBC (0. 45 L) are beyond normal range. Aspirin is used widely to prevent strokes, and treat vascular dementia as well.
The doctor had him in the hospital for 14 days and with a regiment of aricept...dilantin.....and other forms of seizure medications got him under control. Though his body was toxic with the chemicals, he has pulled through. The doctor has said he has extensive brain damage both left/right side of the brain. My dad walks, talks, and has a good memory except for short term is fuzzy. His attitude is uplifting and comical so he has a good out look on life. My question regards.....
I have discussed my mother's problem with her primary care physician, who put her on Alzheimer's drugs (Aricept and an antidepressant, I think) without giving her an MRI or performing any other tests that I know of. I can not see much improvement in her condition from these drugs. What else can we do to help get her the correct diagnosis and treatment? Thank you.
I attended an immunologist approximately 3 months after the incident and complained to him about my headache. He asked for my records and found that my blood pressure was normal when I was admitted and that when I was given adrenaline my blood pressure went to 260 over 160 . He contacted the hospital and he received a letter from a senior consultant in the hospital to say that I had been given the wrong treatment.
His speech, hand writing and balance have also gone downhill. He spends much of his days sitting or laying down confused and fatigued. He is back on aricept and requip the last 2 weeks with minimal improvement. Will his confusion and cognitive thinking get better?
The psychologist recommended Aricept, and after arguing with my neurologist, I got a couple of samples and a prescription. The good news is that it worked! Whether it was a crutch to help me until my brain healed up, or whether it helped me find new pathways, I don't know. But I was on Aricept for five months, and then stopped because I felt that I had recovered much of my thinking.
I wonder just how common it is for people to loose their sight, balance, walk like a string puppet, bladder control, mobility, tremor, communication and cognitive skills etc and not having a major stroke, you'd think it wouldnt leave much left over in the dx process. If you want understanding and some direction, then the best places to look are sites that discuss the various aphasia types, and speach therapy sites.
The last straw came at the end of yesterday's appointment, when I read the notes on the top of my visit summary/receipt. Patient should read more, consider Aricept and MS DMTs, get out of the house, get involved with an exercise program. Vent over. I am completely demoralized, frustrated and angry.
If I understand, your father recently had a stroke and the underlying cause is cardiovascular disease and resulted in a stroke. That occurs when a blood clot is dislodge in the vessel and with blood flow goes to the brain and blocks a segment of the brain to blood supply. The result can minor with very little impairment or serious causing a loss of mobility and speech.
The main concern as I read your post should be to lower the blood pressure as that can cause a fatal stroke, can happen at any time with high blood pressure and with no treatment it is difficult to estimate, and if she is unable to walk very far could indicate a severe heart problem at the end stage and that can result in irregular heartbeat and heart arrest at any time without any warning. .
In April he had an MRI and went to see a Nuerologist, who put him on Aricept as a precaution, and starting running tests for Alzhiemer. He also went back to the NeuroPsyc for a second evalution which showed his memory had improved but his cognition was only at 30% now. Since then we have had a PET Scan which showed syptoms of Early Onset Alzhiemers. He lost 30 lbs. on the Aricept with no change in his mental state. He is having severe headaches, hand tremors.
Reading that sentence out loud would probably make me have a stroke. Anyway, I teach, and this is becoming really noticeable to me during lecture. 2. I am having THE WORST TIME accessing words. I'll have the first letter right, but it will literally take me half a minute or more sometimes to finally find the word. Sometimes, I just give up. 3. Today, I was having a job interview on the phone that went really well. Just as we were signing off, I just blurted out "so much...
She has been in the health center now for 2 weeks - on 100 mg of zoloft, aricept, namenda, seraquil and can't walk, is more confused and very irritable to others. Not her normal personality. Her neurologist has just taken her off zoloft, aricept and namenda and increased her seraquil to 25 mg 3 times a day (was 25 mg once a day at night). I am hoping I am doing the right thing for her.
I've looked around on the internet, and the only thing I'm finding that comes up for that is stroke. Although, the doctor who gave me the results said it's to be expected with MS. I think it's weird that I don't see anything about it online.
I agree that Nootrpil (AKA piracetam) and Aricept (AKA donepezil) are appropriate in your father's case. Vitamin E may also be appropriate although you should consult your physician. As far as the language difficuty, there are no medications that will likely fix that. Speech therapy is likely appropriate and may yield some benefit. I think that PT and OT is also a good idea.
Its been 4 months and I am still not well-at all. I have dizzeness, severe headaches and pain, and always feel like im under water or in a fog. Oh ya I stammer a lot and have memory loss and am so very tired and just wiped out. Sometimes I dont see things right. When will this all end? Can someone tell me what kind of meds works best for the pain in the head. I tried Vicodin but got tired of being nausea, Then I was on Butalbital and that was worse-didnt help the pain.
I can handle getting my words all mixed up and using wrong words, not finding words. But the rest is not good and its taking me forever to figure out how to make my life easier. I use my calendar and another note book to put things in, if i remember to put it in..i forget in seconds what i am doing.
therefore, ER residents and attendings have to deal with stroke victims -- real time -- that is, when they're actually having a stroke. I have another friend who is a resident physician in neurology, and often, he deals with people who have suffered a stroke, after the fact. Neurologists deal with stroke rehabilitation and assessment after the fact, not real time.
I've been skipping the injectables because I couldn't afford that and Aricept, and I needed Aricept so I could do my job. Now I can't afford Aricept either! I think maybe I can finally afford the injectables again, though.
Actually I had a dream a few mornings ago where Russell from Survivor came to my Mom and Dad's house and walked in and laid a briefcast on the kitchen table. When he opened the briefcase it was full of loose Marijuana and he was trying to sell some to my MOM!!! My Mom is the biggest anti-marijuana person I have ever known! ha ha So, my question is, Is there anyone here that does not dream that has been diagnosed with MS???
I did get Migrane headaches with stroke problems . I got rid of the husband and the job and the headaches almost went away. My husband had viking football on his mind and the monday night was on friday sat, sunday and I couldn't get him to understand it says Monday nite football , Monday. / so he went everyday all day long looking for his football game and couldn't find it and it was me that was wrong and I had to straighten out the chanels. On and On He finally got to see it last night.
The headaches continue and the pain puts him in bed for days. We did have a blood patch for leakage. Blood work and CT scans and MRI and MRA all fine. The neurologist said it was a post exurcision migrane. But why do they never end and keep coming back. What can we do to get this very active 16 year old back to normal. The doctor mention infussion for the pain if the imetrex does not work. He has missed almost a month of school on and off. Any suggestions to help us.
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