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- Giving Up the Guns When a Family Member Has Alzheimer’s
- Care Management Program Is Reducing Need for Anti-anxiety Medication and Visits to the Hospital/Emergency Room
- Talking to a Loved One With Alzheimer’s
- 10 Powerful Ways to Commemorate Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
- Making the Most of Mealtimes for People With Alzheimer’s
- Family Members Provide 100 Hours a Month of Unpaid Care for Alzheimer’s
- Alzheimer’s Caregivers Should Be Screened for Depression
- Alzheimer’s Care Costs Far More Than Heart Disease or Cancer Care
- Obesity at Midlife May Speed Alzheimer’s Onset
- Hello from my mom
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- Lack of Deep Sleep Tied to Alzheimer’s Brain Changes
- Inflammation in Middle Age Tied to Thinking and Memory Problems Later
- Frailty May Increase Susceptibility to Alzheimer’s Disease
- Intensive Blood Pressure Control May Help Keep Memory Sharp
- Inflammation May Spur the Development of Alzheimer’s Disease
- High Blood Pressure of Pregnancy Tied to Late-Life Dementia
- Heart Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease Share Genetic Links
- Widely Used Office Dementia Tests Are Often Inaccurate
- Heart Rhythm Disorder, A-Fib, Tied to Dementia Risk
- Daytime Sleepiness Tied to Alzheimer’s Brain Changes
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- Diabetes Treatments May Help Ward Off Alzheimer’s Disease
- Can Mushrooms Help Your Memory?
- Buyer Beware: Dietary Supplement’s Won’t Cure Alzheimer’s Disease
- Experimental Drug, Fails to Benefit Alzheimer’s Patients
- New Drug Shows Promise for Alzheimer’s
- Pain Relievers Present Special Hazards in People With Alzheimer’s Disease
- Care Management Program Is Reducing Need for Anti-anxiety Medication and Visits to the Hospital/Emergency Room
- Music May Ease the Anxiety of Alzheimer’s
- Experimental Alzheimer’s Drug, Intepirdine, Disappoints in Study
- An Eye Scan for Alzheimer’s?
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- Brain Scans Aid in Management of Alzheimer’s Disease
- For Brain Health, Choose Heart-Healthy Foods
- Keeping Physically and Mentally Active at Midlife May Cut Dementia Risk
- How Exercise May Help Fend Off Alzheimer’s Disease
- 6 Months of Moderate Exercise Can Sharpen the Mind
- Foods for Brain Health? Try Leafy Greens, Red and Orange Veggies, Berries and Orange Juice
- To Drive or Not to Drive? Questions to Ask
- Exercise May Prevent Falls in Those with Alzheimer’s Disease
- The Driving and Car Key Dilemma of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Healthier Heart, Healthier Brain
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- Scientists get a ‘total surprise’ and a promising new clue for how to cure Alzheimer’s
- Some 44 Million People Have Alzheimer’s Worldwide
- Nearly 14 Million Americans Will Have Alzheimer’s Disease by 2060
- Alzheimer’s Rates Could Double in Coming Decades
- Combining Care Program With Medication Reduces Alzheimer’s Symptoms By 750%
- Fisher Center Scientists make two new Significant Discoveries in the battle against Alzheimer’s
- Dementia Rates Are Slowing, but Alzheimer’s Cases Continue to Rise
- Fisher Center Scientists Create a Novel Imaging Technology Allowing the 3D Visualization of Brain Defects That Cause Alzheimer’s Disease
- Negative Beliefs About Aging Could Prime the Brain for Alzheimer’s
- Recognizing Faces Is a Challenge for Those With Alzheimer’s
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- The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the 8th Consecutive Year
- Fisher Center For Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Wins Fall 2018 Digital Health Awards®
- Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar
- The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the 7th Consecutive Year
- Hear Kent Karosen, President and CEO of the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, describe his new book and the power of art therapy
- Fisher Center Scientists link a Mutation That Protects Against the Development of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Newly Inducted Into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Shaquille O’Neal, Joins the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation to Raise Funds for Groundbreaking Research in the Quest for a Cure
- Pat Summitt, legendary women’s basketball coach, dies at 64
- Celebrating the life of Nancy Reagan for her Impact on the Fight to end Alzheimer’s
- WRNN Interview
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Drug Facts: Namenda (memantine)
Generic name: memantine
Description
Sold as 10 mg capsules (gray, with the number “10” on one side and the letters “FL” on the other) and 5 mg capsules (tan, with “5” on one side “FL” on the other).
Why It’s Prescribed
To ease the symptoms of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease. May slow the mental and physical deterioration seen in the later stages of Alzheimer’s. However, it does not halt disease progression long term.
Who Benefits
People with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. In one six-month study, patients deteriorated about half as much as they would have if they had not been taking the drug. The main benefit comes later in the course of the illness, when it may improve quality of life for patients and caregivers alike. However, improvements may be very subtle, and it does not work for everybody.
How it Works
Shields brain cells from overexposure to a chemical called glutamate, excess levels of which contribute to the death of brain cells in people with Alzheimer’s. However, there is no evidence the drug protects brain cells or halts or reverses the downward spiral of symptoms long term.
Dosage Guidelines
To start, 5 mg once a day. The dose is gradually increased to a daily total dose of 20 mg, taken in two doses. Can be taken with or without food.
Onset of Effect
Benefits, if they occur, may be noticed within several weeks of starting the drug.
Storage
Store in a tightly sealed container away from heat, moisture and light.
Missed Dose
Skip the missed dose and resume your regular schedule.
Long-term Use
The drug is taken long term and may move the clock back a few months, but the disease continues to progress. If the drug seems to stop working, your doctor may switch you off the drug.
Side Effects
Serious: There are no serious side effects.
Most common: Dizziness, headache, constipation, confusion, skin rash. These side effects may diminish within several weeks.
Less common: Fatigue, general achiness, back pain, high blood pressure, vomiting, trouble sleeping, hallucinations, coughs, shortness of breath.
Precautions & Special Concerns
Patients with kidney problems may not be able to tolerate this drug.
When to Call the Doctor
If you experience troublesome side effects or the drug seems to stop working.
In Case of Overdose: Symptoms & What to Do
Restlessness, psychosis, visual hallucinations, stupor, loss of consciousness. Call your doctor, emergency medical services, or poison control center immediately.
Drug Interactions
May interact with amantadine, ketamine, and dextromethorphan. May alter levels of various drugs, including diuretics (hydrochlorothiazide, triamterene), ulcer drugs (cimetidine, ranitidine) and quinidine.
Food Interactions
No known food interactions.
Disease Interactions
People with mild kidney problems may need to take a low dose. Those with severe kidney disease may not be able to tolerate it at all.
Expert comment
“For some people with Alzheimer’s disease, this drug can lead to improvements that the family can see. In others, responses may only be detectable under special testing conditions, or there may be no measurable response at all. It is important that family members and physicians maintain realistic expectations for drug therapy and remember that, as with all current Alzheimer’s drugs, responses are generally only modest at best.” –Samuel E. Gandy, M.D., Ph.D., Scientific Advisory Board, Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation
