Dear Friends,

My mom has taken 12 mg Razadyne 2X/day for 3-1/2 years. Kept her very stable at mild+ dementia until about 3 months ago. Dementia progressed rapidly, now probably at the moderate ++ stage.

MD recommends switching to Exelon. The literature says this may be helpful: I would like to hear from those with experience making this change.

Thank you!

Peace, Lin

My husband has exhibited s&s of "Dementia" for the past 6 years, shortly after a Total Hip Replacement. After being diagnosed with "Dementia, Alzheimer's type" he was taking the Razadyne up to 12 mg bid, after about 6 months on this, he was switched to Exelon and the dosage was increased continually until he maxed out on the dosage, also was taking Namenda 10 mg bid. Recently he was seen in a Psychiatric Hospital, where a tentative Dx of "LBD". He was taken off of the Exelon, switched to Aricept, dc'd Namenda, slowly resuming it after a week. I gues I will say that I so no improvement with the switch in medications and quite possibly a decrease in his cognitive situation while he was on it; but the addition of all of the Anti-Psychotic that he had been on, only increased his problems. He now is no longer on Exelon, is on Namenda, NO Antipsychotics, but of course, he was moved to a LTCF on this past Sunday due to his son having the POA. So I do not know what he is being treated with as of now.

Linda A

Dear Linda,

Many thanks for sharing your husband's story with me. Meds are such a struggle - never certain we are getting them right. And as is said about several illnesses, "LBD is a designer disease: it changes with the individual." Even with the core features used to diagnose LBD, there are lots of variables person to person.

I'm so sorry your loved one - and you - have had this long journey. We went through misdiagnoses and inappropriate medications with my mom. She was stable a long time on Razadyne, but after massive infections for months, it's become ineffective. Thus the decision to change. I try very hard to ensure her MDs use only the meds and guidelines developed by Dr. Boeve (one of this site's scientific advisors) and other well-known LBD specialists. And the old saw, "Start meds low (dosage), and go slow (in making changes) is apt with LBD. We have cut Mom's antipsychotic (only atypicals, I know) way back, as too much was making her more, not less, confused.

So we'll undertake this change carefully and observe closely. I do hope your husband's meds will work for him. You'll both be in my prayers, and again thanks so much for writing.

Peace, Lin