My mother has LBD. The onset was probably 2 years ago but was not diagnosed until several months ago. She began taking Aricept then; added Cinemet a month ago; and we are considering adding Exelon next. The first med did help her confusion/anxiety/memory loss symptoms. The second has dramatically improved her balance and moderately improved her manual dexterity. Any experience with these meds and and the addition of Exelon that could be shared would be helpful in making the decision to add this additional med. Thanks, dave

Dave,

Aricept and Exelon are both cholinesterase inhibitors, so doctors normally prescribe one or the other, not both.

My father was on Aricept for several years, and as his symptoms progressed, the neurologist added Namenda. It gave us a very positive improvement for the past year.

However, there are only a few articles published on LBD and Namenda/Memantine, showing both complications and improved symptoms. It will take further clinical trials before any recommendation for or against it can be made by the experts.

I hope that helps,
Angela

My mother is currently taking Reminyl that was prescribed by her neurologist about two years ago, although no mention of Alzheimer's was brought up at the time. She had two strokes in two years four years ago, but had come back to almost full ability physically. At the time the Reminly was prescribed I thought she may be having recurring TIA's (or small strokes) that were the cause of increasing memory loss and inability to communicate effectively. I guess I thought that because she had the good days followed by bad days. In recent months she has exhibited the symptoms of what I now believe to be LBD after researching the different types of dementia. My question is, does any body think that Aricept is a better drug for LBD? She has another appointment with the neurologist next month, and I am trying to get prepared to discuss the possibility of her suffering from LBD with him. Any feedback?

Jennifer

Hi Jennifer,
My husband is only 77 and has LBD. He was put on Reminyl, which is now called Razadyne because it sounded too much like another drug. Along with the Razadyne he was given Namenda. That combination of meds gave me about 3 extra years with him. He is now still on those two, along with Depakote and Risperdol for his hallucinations and outbursts. He is declining but I did have about 4 years with him at home. He probably had LBD for many years before he was diagnosed. He started with REM sleep disorder.
Hope you found help here,
Elaine/attilla