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Article Title
- 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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- Daytime Sleepiness May Be Early Warning Sign of Alzheimer’s
- Alzheimer’s Disease Increases the Risk of Falls
- High Blood Sugar Tied to Memory Decline
- Blood Test for Alzheimer’s Gets Closer
- Worried About Your Memory? Alzheimer’s May Not Be to Blame
- Brain Changes of Menopause May Promote Alzheimer’s
- Predicting Who Will Get Alzheimer’s
- Personality Changes Are Not the Earliest Sign of Alzheimer’s
- Midlife Heart Problems Raise Alzheimer’s Risk
- Anemia Tied to Mild Cognitive Impairment Risk
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- 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?
- Drug to treat Alzheimer’s is Ranked Highest
- Patients Often Fail to Adhere to Alzheimer’s Drug Schedules
- Could Treatments for Diabetes Help Treat Alzheimer’s?
- Pharmacists Can Aid in Alzheimer’s Care
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- 2 Hours a Week of Exercise Can Boost Brain Health
- ‘Exergames,’ Which Combine Exercise and Games, May Benefit Brain Health
- Eat Fish, Fruit, Vegetables and Nuts for Brain Health
- Beet Compound Shows Promise Against Alzheimer’s
- A Single Night of Not Sleeping Tied to Alzheimer’s Brain Changes
- Should Alzheimer’s Patients Drink Coffee?
- Can a Salad a Day Help Keep Memory Sharp?
- Fitness in Midlife Tied to Lower Dementia Risk in Old Age
- Doctor’s Orders: Exercise for the Sake of Your Brain
- Positive Beliefs About Aging May Help Fend Off Alzheimer’s
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- 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
- 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?
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- 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
- Fisher Center’s 20th Anniversary Celebration and recent activities
- Featured on NASDAQ’s Billboard
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Drug Facts: Razadyne, Reminyl (galantamine)
Generic name: galantamine
Description
Comes in 4 mg (white), 8 mg (pink) and 12 mg (brown-orange) tablets. Also available as a liquid for those who cannot swallow tablets.
Why It’s Prescribed
To ease the symptoms of early Alzheimer’s. May improve, maintain, or slow the decline in memory, thinking, and activities of daily living, such as dressing, eating, or handling mail. However, it does not halt disease progression long term.
Who Benefits
People with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The earlier treatment is started, the more effective it may be. About half of patients who try the drug show slight improvements.
How it Works
Originally derived from daffodil bulbs, this drug slows the breakdown of acetylcholine, a chemical that aids memory by transmitting messages between brain cells. It also acts on nicotine receptors in the brain.
Dosage Guidelines
To start: 4 mg twice a day. Dosage should be increased slowly, with at least four weeks between each increase, to minimize side effects. Average daily dose: 16 to 24 mg, taken as two daily doses in the morning and evening. An extended-release formula is also available: It is taken as a single daily dose. Take with food and plenty of fluids to minimize side effects. The liquid form can be mixed with water, juice or soda. Take with food and plenty of fluids to minimize side effects. The liquid form can be mixed with water, juice or soda.
Onset of Effect
For those who respond, benefits typically appear within several weeks of starting the drug.
Storage
Store in a tightly sealed container away from heat, moisture and light. Do not freeze the liquid form.
Missed Dose
Take as soon as possible, or if it’s near the time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your normal schedule. If you miss a dose for several days or longer, talk to your doctor, who may re-start you on a lower dose.
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 to another Alzheimer’s drug.
Side Effects
Serious: No serious side effects.
Most common: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss. Usually occur when starting the drug or when dosage is increased. In most people, side effects dissipate with time.
Less common: Fatigue, feeling lightheaded or dizzy, tremor, headaches, abdominal cramps, heartburn, depression, insomnia, drowsiness, runny nose, urinary tract infection or blood in the urine.
Precautions & Special Concerns
Be sure to drink enough fluids while taking this medication. People with serious liver or serious kidney disease should not take this drug. Those with mild liver or kidney problems should limit dose to 16 mg a day. Do not drive until you see how the medicine affects you, since it may cause drowsiness.
When to Call the Doctor
If you experience side effects or the drug seems to stop working.
In Case of Overdose: Symptoms & What to Do
Severe nausea and vomiting, increased salivation, sweating, slowed heartbeat, low blood pressure, irregular breathing, unconsciousness, muscle weakness. Call your doctor, emergency medical services, or poison control center immediately.
Drug Interactions
May interact with paroxetine (Paxil), an antidepressant, and some drugs for Parkinson’s disease. Antihistamines, antipsychotic drugs, and some drugs for incontinence may also diminish its effects.
Food Interactions
No known food interactions. Avoid alcohol while using this medicine.
Disease Interactions
Do not take if you have severe kidney or liver disease. Consult your doctor if you have asthma, lung disease, epilepsy or seizures, heart problems, an ulcer, or urinary tract problems.
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
