If someone you love is showing signs of dementia, consulting a doctor is very important to know about their condition and how to help them during this difficult time. Not only you will have to learn how to take care of patients as they slowly and gradually lose their touch with reality but you will also have to understand what to expect in future and how things could be in a few years’ time.
Dementia affects the memory of the affected people and makes it tough for them to remember even daily life chores such as changing clothes, eating food and knowing their loved ones. In such cases, coping with the patient often becomes very challenging as they also go through other symptoms and problems that aggravate their situation.
The best thing to do for your loved one in such condition is to approach a doctor. A reliable and professional doctor can provide the best outlook on treatment and how it would work. The doctor will recommend mediation as well as non-drug approaches to help patients in such difficult times.
Medications for treating dementia
Aducanumab-avwa (Aduhelm)
It is the first drug approved by the FDA for treating Alzheimer’s disease in decades. If your loved one is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, the doctor may prescribe this monthly infusion.
It is a monoclonal antibody that reduces the buildup of things called amyloid plaques in your brain. These plaques are part of what leads to the memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease. For people suffering from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early Alzheimer’s disease, this drug appears to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
It is also important to note that not every patient of dementia may react the same way to this medicine and some patients will also report side effects such. The commonly reported side effect of this medication is ARIA, amyloid-related imaging abnormalities that include temporary swelling in the brain and small areas of bleeding.
Cholinesterase inhibitors
If your loved one is suffering from early stage of Alzheimer’s disease that is not too severe yet, the doctor may recommend a cholinesterase inhibitor. Cholinesterase inhibitors are usually prescribed for any type of dementia as they are believed to prevent a messenger chemical in the brain, known as acetylcholine from breaking down.
Acetylcholine plays a crucial role in learning, memory, and mood. In addition to this, Cholinesterase inhibitors also appear to delay the worsening of Alzheimer’s symptoms. The medicines include Donepezil (Aricept), Galantamine (Razadyne, Razadyne ER, Reminyl) and Rivastigmine (Exelon)
These medications help Alzheimer’s patients by reducing their anxiety, improving motivation and enhancing concentration and memory. Many of the patients can continue with their regular activities if they take cholinesterase inhibitors as recommended by their doctors. It is necessary to understand that these medications do not provide a treatment; they just prevent the worsening of the problem and keep the deterioration away for some time.
Memantine
Doctors recommend memantine (Namenda) for patients suffering from moderate to severe Alzheimer’s. It helps to improve memory, attention, reasoning, and language. It is sometimes prescribed with donepezil (Aricept) to balance glutamate, another messenger chemical involved in our memory and learning.
Studies have shown that memantine can help to deal with delusions, hallucinations, agitation, aggression, and irritability. It also benefits patients with disorientation and make their daily activities easier, delaying the symptoms of dementia to some extent.
Caring for dementia patients is not easy and at times it can prove to be a challenge as the patients might not be so cooperative and resist taking the medications. Some patients have a problem swallowing as they do not understand what to do as their condition deteriorates. In such cases, the care givers will have to play an active role and make sure they either look for a liquid alternative or tablets that dissolve and can be easily administrated to patients.
Managing medications is also an important aspect of looking after a dementia patient. If the patient is in early stage of the disease, they may take the medication on their own but you must keep a close eye to see they take the right medicine at the right time. With dementia treatment Bucks County, you can look forward to knowing more about dementia, how this condition progresses and how to provide the best care and affection to your loved ones and help them at such critical time.
Primary Care Physician Bucks County, PA 