Ativan can affect memory

September 29, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: Your article on Ativan was interesting and informative. From a personal point of view, I would like to tell you that my wife, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease for some 12 years now, was prescribed Ativan while recovering from a radical mastectomy/chemotherapy/radiation. The prescription continued for six years.

During an evaluation at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI Gerontology Center, she was advised that Ativan is a destroyer of short-term memory. That fact and the damage done to the entire body by chemo and by estrogen earlier in prior years, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, all played a part in the development of Alzheimer’s, in my opinion.
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Research advances support staying the course

May 21, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My 73-year-old father seems rather forgetful these days. When I took him to his doctor, he was diagnosed with pre-Alzheimer’s disease. I’ve heard of Alzheimer’s, but what exactly is pre-Alzheimer’s?

DEAR READER: It is estimated that more than 5 million Americans suffer from a form of Alzheimer’s, the leading cause of dementia in the Western world. There are new guidelines available for diagnosing early-stage Alzheimer’s (pre-Alzheimer’s), indicating that a state of mental decline can begin years prior to the occurrence of other, more classic symptoms.
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Drug trial doesn’t help Alzheimer’s patient

May 12, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia about five years ago. The current drugs being prescribed are galantamine, Namenda and citalopram. Other than Alzheimer’s, her overall health is good.

Shortly after being diagnosed, she placed in her age class at the Bloomsday road race. We were both runners. Anyway, her height is 5 feet 5 inches, her weight is 115 pounds, and her blood pressure is normal.
Is there any other possible course of treatment? We have been to specialists and more. We did participate in the failed dimebon trial.
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Sundowner’s linked to Alzheimer’s

May 5, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: Please write something on sundowner’s syndrome. It seems as though this is fairly common. Thank you for all the great information I have read.

DEAR READER: Sundowner’s, or sundowning, is confusion that generally occurs late in the day, although it has been known to occur during early-morning hours as well. The cause appears elusive and is often misunderstood.

The disorder is commonly seen in hospital or nursing-home settings where an older individual may be forced to adjust to a different setting. Or, in some cases, it can manifest following illness or surgery. Sundowner’s may be temporary for some but prolonged in other instances. [Read more...]

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Pick’s disease resembles Alzheimer’s

April 15, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: Some years ago, you wrote an article on Pick’s disease that I misplaced. Can you discuss it once again?

DEAR READER: Pick’s is a rare but permanent form of dementia similar to Alzheimer’s disease. It has a tendency to affect only certain areas of the brain and can affect people as young as 20; however, it is more common in people closer to 55 or 60. People with Pick’s have abnormal substances known as Pick bodies and Pick cells inside nerve cells within damaged areas of the brain.

Tissue in the temporal and frontal lobes of the brain shrink over time and result in impaired thought processes, behavioral changes and difficulties with speech. [Read more...]

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Alzheimer’s link concerns daughter

April 8, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I recently had an MRI that showed some brain atrophy. A few days ago, I read a report that people whose mothers had Alzheimer’s show more rapid progression of brain atrophy.

I’m 67, and my mother had what I believe was the Alzheimer’s/vascular combo dementia. No autopsy was performed. She showed symptoms in her early 70s, died at 85, and had two sisters who also had dementia.
The recent MRI will have to be my “base.” How soon should I have another to monitor possible deterioration? What is the probability of me getting Alzheimer’s?
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Are Alzheimer’s, aluminum really linked?

March 11, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: Would you address the link between aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease? And if there is truly a link, why do deodorants contain it? Thank you.

DEAR READER: I wish I could provide a direct answer. There have been a number of books written and a great deal of research done about a possible link, but after numerous years of research, scientists remain unsure what role — if any — aluminum plays in Alzheimer’s disease. [Read more...]

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Magic pill for Alzheimer’s?

January 26, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: What is the latest information about the early-Alzheimer’s pill? How early or at what age or at what signs should it be taken?

DEAR READER: My guess is that you are referring to Rember, what we all hope will be a breakthrough drug. It is a new formulation of methylene blue, an old product. More than two years ago, British scientists reported a new drug that was designed to slow Alzheimer’s disease. The trial involved 321 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s in the United Kingdom and Singapore. The patients were divided into four groups, three of which took different doses of Rember, and the fourth was provided a placebo. [Read more...]

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Alzheimer’s gene testing not necessary

February 16, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My father has Alzheimer’s disease. Should I be tested for the APOE 4 allele? I would like to know what I’m facing.
DEAR READER: Your short note has a complex answer. I must start by asking some questions. How old is your father? At what age was he diagnosed? What are his symptoms? Is there any doubt of the diagnosis? Is he under the care of a neurologist or other physician familiar with Alzheimer’s disease? Does anyone else in your family have Alzheimer’s or other neurological conditions? How old are you? Are you displaying any symptoms or early-warning signs? The more information readers and patients provide, the more accurate the answers they will receive. Given that I don’t know these things, I can only provide a general overview. [Read more...]

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Sleep aids detrimental to the elderly

January 23, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: Although I am in reasonably good health for an 87-year-old woman, I need some help in order to get a good night’s sleep. I had been taking an over-the-counter sleep aid off and on for quite some time until I read that all the OTC aids contain diphenhydramine. I have heard that this drug can cause delirium and may lead to Alzheimer’s in older adults.

The number of Alzheimer’s cases is ever increasing, which leads me to ask why the FDA hasn’t banned this ingredient. Should I be concerned about the Tylenol PM I have been taking?

Thank you for any advice you may be able to give me as I am truly concerned, but I do need help in order to get a good night’s sleep. [Read more...]

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