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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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How Can Dementia And Alzheimer S Disease Be Treated?

My mother is 87 & has dementia/Alzheimer s. She has had it for a few years now. She was always a sweet, loving, never said a bad word or a negative action. Now she can at times be very cynical, swear, cant remember things, difficult to get her to go anywhere or do anything. She is 5 ft 5, 125 lbs or so. She doesn t want to eat, afraid of getting fat like her sister. She will eat breakfast egg & cheese sandwich and a boost. picks at her supper. rarely eats lunch. She has terrible dreams and uses her fists to hit the bed at night and talks. I know this because I stayed w/my mom while my dad was in the hospital a couple of times. what medication if any will help her get her apatite back and help w/confusion. She is weak and uses a walker sometimes. Thank you very much!
Wed, 30 Aug 2017
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  User's Response
Hi there,

Unfortunately, this sounds like the natural progression of Alzheimer's. I'm not sure if she's taking any medications right now, but she can try Aricept if she isn't already on it. This seems to help slow the progression of symptoms, but it isn't a cure. In terms of appetite, this again is probably a progression of her dementia, but you can try megace as an appetite stimulant.

I'm sorry that your mother is going through this and it must be very difficult to watch. I wish I had some better suggestions for you, but unfortunately there isn't very much in the way of Alzheimer's treatment. I've had patients use Aricept with mixed results.

I hope I have answered your question. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or if you feel I haven't adequately answered your question.
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How Can Dementia And Alzheimer S Disease Be Treated?

Hi there, Unfortunately, this sounds like the natural progression of Alzheimer s. I m not sure if she s taking any medications right now, but she can try Aricept if she isn t already on it. This seems to help slow the progression of symptoms, but it isn t a cure. In terms of appetite, this again is probably a progression of her dementia, but you can try megace as an appetite stimulant. I m sorry that your mother is going through this and it must be very difficult to watch. I wish I had some better suggestions for you, but unfortunately there isn t very much in the way of Alzheimer s treatment. I ve had patients use Aricept with mixed results. I hope I have answered your question. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or if you feel I haven t adequately answered your question.