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- 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
- Easing the Behavior Problems of Alzheimer’s Without Drugs
- When Alzheimer’s Leads to Legal Wrangles
- Coordinated Care Lets Alzheimer’s Patients Stay at Home Longer
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- Midlife Heart Problems Raise Alzheimer’s Risk
- Anemia Tied to Mild Cognitive Impairment Risk
- Being Too Thin Late in Life Tied to Increased Alzheimer’s Risk
- A Sniff Test for Alzheimer’s Getting Closer
- Memory Complaints May Precede Alzheimer’s By Decades
- Alzheimer’s Brain Changes May Start Early in Life
- Getting a Clinical Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s May Have Safety Benefits
- Could Alzheimer’s Be Caused by a Brain Infection?
- Gene May Increase Risk for Both Alzheimer’s and Heart Disease
- Stress May Increase Your Risk of Developing Alzheimer’s Disease
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- Could Treatments for Diabetes Help Treat Alzheimer’s?
- Pharmacists Can Aid in Alzheimer’s Care
- Two-Drug Combo May Ease the Agitation of Alzheimer’s
- Are New, More Effective Alzheimer’s Drugs on the Horizon?
- Insulin Nasal Spray Shows Promise as Alzheimer’s Treatment
- Inflammation Holds Clues to Alzheimer’s Progression, and Possible Treatment
- Common Allergy and Sleep Drugs Tied to Higher Alzheimer’s Risk
- Promising Drug, Gantenerumab, Fails to Prevent Alzheimer’s Onset
- Blood Test Offers Hope for Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s
- Brain ‘Pacemaker’ Is Being Tested for Alzheimer’s Disease
- FOR MORE ARTICLES CLICK HERE
- More Study Needed on Air Pollution’s Ties to Alzheimer’s
- One in Three Dementia Cases Could Be Prevented
- Good Dental Care Is Crucial for People With Alzheimer’s
- Poor Sleep May Add to Alzheimer’s Risk
- Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain
- Drinking Soda Tied to Poor Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Risk
- Diversified Mental Activity and Mental Challenges Can Keep the Mind Sharp in Old Age
- Mediterranean Diet Has Benefits for the Brain
- Dance to Keep the Brain in Shape
- Tablet Computer Apps Can Help Ease the Agitation of Alzheimer’s
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- 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
- Fisher Center Scientists Discover Pathway That may Lead to Alzheimer’s Disease
- Brain Scans Move Closer to Early Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
- Can Vitamin E Slow Alzheimer’s Decline?
- World Alzheimer’s Month
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- 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 to the Effect of Gleevec
- 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
- Fisher Center’s 20th Anniversary Celebration and recent activities
- Featured on NASDAQ’s Billboard
- Online Chat on Reddit.com with Nobel Laureate Dr. Paul Greengard
- Dr. Manny
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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
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