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Suggest Treatment For Early Dementia

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Posted on Tue, 2 Jun 2015
Question: Neurologists. What tab is best in early dementia patients
doctor
Answered by Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj (12 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Tablets, meds, treatments, etc depend on the cause.

Detailed Answer:
Hello there! Thanks for coming to HealthCareMagic.

Your question is pretty interesting. I could simply just name a few generic medications that are used in this situation, but I don't think that would give you a good understanding of what the treatment of Dementia entails.

First of all.. the Diagnosis of Dementia is no minor thing. It requires quite a bit of time with a Neurologist... examinations.. CT scans etc.. Thats because Dementia is NOT one single disease. In fact, the term refers to a group of symptoms that can be caused by many different pathologies.

There are Vascular Dementia's, Alzheimer's, Senile dementias, etc. All of them caused by different issues. For instance.. vascular dementia is caused by the deteriorating health of the blood vessels that supply the brain and is associated with memory loss and emotional outbursts. Alzheimer's on the other hand is a disease where we are not 100% sure of the cause.

So, when it comes to management of any kind of dementia.. it's important to address the root causes if at all possible while simultaneously giving symptomatic treatment to help the patient cope.

The symptoms of memory loss and forgetfulness are sometimes treated with a class of medications known as Cholinesterase inhibitors. Donepezil is the prototype drug in this class of medications and is something you should mention to your doctor about the treatment of your patient.

Mood disorders are another common issue. Antidepressants and even Antipsychotics are sometimes used to treat these issues.

So you see. No one tablet is going to solve an issue like this. Treatment is personal and depends on the symptoms displayed and the cause of the problem.

I hope this has helped you understand the situation a bit, I would love to clarify things further for you if you have any questions.

Vinay

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj (53 minutes later)
Why I asked the question is: my husband who is 85 yrs. Is getting forget ful . First about few yrs 6 yrs back his sodium had dropped by which he could not recognise anything plus he got into hallucinations because he was given heavy dose of sleeping pill because we were at USA.

After that he was taken to medical check when we returned to XXXXXXX plus neuro because his two elder sisters had dementia . He had 3 elder brothers who died because of ageing in their 90s. Nobody had demtia.

Neither he is diagnosed of dementia nor alzemir.
But they say his grey cells are detonating.

But till now what I have seen change is he forgetfulness has increased . But from 1 month he sometimes is not able to recognise.

He has sle lupus and diebetic.

I was sacred after reading side affects of oleanz. So I wanted your advise .
doctor
Answered by Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj (2 days later)
Brief Answer:
Many things need to be looked into in this case

Detailed Answer:
I apologize for the lateness of my reply. I had to put some thought into the different possibilities faced by your husband in this case.

Firstly, I would like to summarize the medical information you have provided about your husband. If I get anything incorrect, please set me straight. The more information I have, the more useful I can be to you.

After that, I will list out what i think needs to be done and what i think you can look forward to in the long term when it comes to your husbands care.

Your husband is certainly at an age where simple age related changes in the brain can cause dementia. Senile dementia to be exact.. but the two other issues he suffers from.. namely Diabetes and Lupus can hasten the process greatly. Now, approximately 6 years ago.. your husband apparently overdosed on sleeping medication. I would really like to know which sleep tablet was given. Some tablets are associated by Hyponatremia (low Sodium levels, confusion, etc). After the medications.. your husband was apparently hospitalized or treated for Hyponatremia. After that was corrected.. he flew back to India? What follow-up was done after?

Now.. we must ask ourselves the question.. what makes us think that your husband has Dementia at all.. The main symptom that makes you seem to think in this direction is his forgetfulness. Well, 'Forgetfulness' alone, does not a Diagnosis make.

Dementia is mainly diagnosed clinically through mental status testing and physical examination. This must be initiated by a Neurologist. Has he seen a Neurologist?

What tests were done for him?
Were his vitamin levels checked (vitamin B deficiency can cause a type of Dementia)?

How is his kidney function (damaged kidneys can cause chronic Hyponatremia and lead to forgetfulness)?

Has he had a CT scan of his brain (Chronic Sub-Dural Fluid collections can cause dementia and forgetfulness)?

I'd like to know WHY he is being given Oleanz? That is Olanzapine, correct? What symptoms was the doctor trying to treat?

At this juncture. Before any further treatment. I think your husband needs a thorough checkup from a Geriatric Specialist and a Neurologist.

These two specialists will be able to work together and formulate a good plan of care for your husband. If you can give me the information I have asked for and/ or ANYTHING further, I would be grateful.

I look forward to your response,

Vinay

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
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Answered by
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Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj

Neurologist, Surgical

Practicing since :2006

Answered : 544 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Early Dementia

Brief Answer: Tablets, meds, treatments, etc depend on the cause. Detailed Answer: Hello there! Thanks for coming to HealthCareMagic. Your question is pretty interesting. I could simply just name a few generic medications that are used in this situation, but I don't think that would give you a good understanding of what the treatment of Dementia entails. First of all.. the Diagnosis of Dementia is no minor thing. It requires quite a bit of time with a Neurologist... examinations.. CT scans etc.. Thats because Dementia is NOT one single disease. In fact, the term refers to a group of symptoms that can be caused by many different pathologies. There are Vascular Dementia's, Alzheimer's, Senile dementias, etc. All of them caused by different issues. For instance.. vascular dementia is caused by the deteriorating health of the blood vessels that supply the brain and is associated with memory loss and emotional outbursts. Alzheimer's on the other hand is a disease where we are not 100% sure of the cause. So, when it comes to management of any kind of dementia.. it's important to address the root causes if at all possible while simultaneously giving symptomatic treatment to help the patient cope. The symptoms of memory loss and forgetfulness are sometimes treated with a class of medications known as Cholinesterase inhibitors. Donepezil is the prototype drug in this class of medications and is something you should mention to your doctor about the treatment of your patient. Mood disorders are another common issue. Antidepressants and even Antipsychotics are sometimes used to treat these issues. So you see. No one tablet is going to solve an issue like this. Treatment is personal and depends on the symptoms displayed and the cause of the problem. I hope this has helped you understand the situation a bit, I would love to clarify things further for you if you have any questions. Vinay