This is an interesting post in the New Old Age blog of the New York Times about five common treatments questioned by geriatricians. At the top of this year’s list are cholinesterase inhibitors — such as Aricept, Exelon, and Razadyne — which are prescribed for those with Lewy Body Dementia and some of the other disorders in our group.
See last year’s list of five things here:
www.brainsupportnetwork.org/five-things-physicians-and-patients-should-question-geriatrics-hospice/
Here are some excerpts from the article about cholinesterase inhibitors:
Topping this year’s list is a caution against dementia drugs called cholinesterase inhibitors — Aricept is the most widely used — without following up to see whether they’re really helping.
[While] the drug may produce cognitive improvement that is statistically significant in a clinical trial, “it’s not clear that it’s big enough for a caregiver to even notice, or big enough to make a difference in a patient’s quality of life,” Dr. Lee said. “We’re learning, after more experience with these drugs, that they benefit a minority of patients.”
On the other side of the equation, most patients who take them will experience gastrointestinal problems like nausea, cramping and diarrhea that often cause weight loss. So the society urges extensive discussion before doctors prescribe cholinesterase inhibitors and suggests no more than a three-month trial. If there’s no meaningful improvement by then, there won’t be later. “This is not a medication to start and then forget about,” Dr. Lee cautioned.
Here’s a link to the full article:
newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/07/geriatricians-question-five-common-treatments
Geriatricians Question Five Common Treatments
New York Times
By Paula Span
March 7, 2014 3:49 PM
Robin