about mental health and if medication should be given?

Hi,

I'm sorry that you've had such a nasty diagnosis, I'm assuming you're in the UK?

There are some medications for dementia which can slow the progress of the disease. They won't stop you getting any worse, but MAY slow the rate at which you deteriorate. These 'cognitive enhancers' don't work for everyone, and can also have side effects like slowing your pulse. Alzheimer's is such a nasty illness that most patients want to try the drugs, and many doctors will prescribe them just in case they do any good.

Most times, people are diagnosed with dementia after an MMSE test (a mini mental state examination). This is the test where you're asked to do things like draw intersecting hexagons and count back in 7s from 100. This is scored out of 30 - any score above 27 is regarded as normal. You'd be routinely prescribed cognitive enhancers if you scored between 10 and 20 on this test. The MMSE is a very blunt tool, and the new NICE guidelines now say that cognitive enhancers should be prescribed for people in the very earliest stages of the disease (these guidelines have literally just been ratified, so it will take time for them to be put into practice). It's possible that you've scored low enough to meet the criteria for Alzheimer's, but not low enough to be prescribed the medication under the current criteria.

Regardless of any of this, it sounds like you've been given this diagnosis by a GP, then pretty much left high and dry. I do hope you've been referred to an older persons' mental health team and a specialist psychiatrist? If not, ask for a referral. You may want to discuss things like lasting powers of attourney, where you can decide how you wish to be treated, and who can make decisions about your finances when the time comes that you can't do these things for yourself. If you've been told you can no longer drive, you should also be given information about the benefits and services you may be entitled to.

If you feel that you need to complain, you can write to the practice manager if it's a GP, or th team manager, if it's a psychiatrist. There's an organisation called PALS (patient advice and liaison service) who can help you do this.

As with any other mental illness, it's important that you look after yourself in terms of diet, exercise, activity and sleep.

The very best of luck to you!

Have a look at an Alzheimers website that has loads of information. I am really sorry but not everyone goes on medication, it depends on the stage of your disease and how it is affecting you now. You will be monitored regularly but Dr's avoid giving drugs until it is necessary as there is no cure for alzheimers, it is a degenerative disease and affects people differently so they will treat the symptoms you show eg if you are depressed they will treat the depression. I believe that they must take your driving licence as this is an illness that you cannot continue driving with after being diagnosed. I really hope that you manage to find some comfort from the websites as these are better placed to help you. Good luck x

You should probably see another doctor. It's always smart to get a second opinion on something as serious as this, and the fact that your doctor hasn't either given you medication, or COPIOUS amounts of notes that will help you control the condition, really scares me.

The only easy thing I can think of that's proven to help is memory/puzzle games. Lots of video games would work, but even sudoku, crosswords, tetris, etc - all stimulate the brain in the desired fashion.

Unfortunately, Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia, and there is no medication to cure it, or make it stop .

There are a couple of newer medications that might help slow down the process

Medicines include donepezil (Aricept), galantamine (Razadyne), and rivastigmine (Exelon). These medicines, called cholinesterase inhibitors, have been approved specifically for treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Research suggested that people with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease who took cholinesterase inhibitors experienced improvement in thinking and daily functioning when they added memantine (Namenda) to their treatment

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Hi ask your Doctor for a second opinion . sometimes you get a virus that makes you forget things for a while.my mom was like that . i went to the chemist and got her some Efalex it mentain concentration and brain development. she is doing well now driving again and she is 81 yrs old

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