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What benefits has anyone seen in taking Donepezil?

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My mother has taken Donepezil for several years but her cognitive abilities have declined steadily. I guess we don't have any way of knowing if there would have been a steeper decline without it.
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Jnelson nailed it. That has been our experience as well. And though there is no way to prove it would be any worse without it, when I did ask the doctor about stopping it, she was very against it. She's a pretty no-nonsense gal (the doc), and she understood wanting to eliminate something from the mix of mom's meds that might not seem to be adding any benefit, but she believes it does have an impact on the rate of decline. Again, no real way of knowing. NOTE: The reason I even asked about stopping it (and I shared this with the doc) is because I'd read some folks' experiences in which they noticed even a slight improvement after stopping it. She was confident it only seemed that way initially to those who observed it.
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I was told by the doctor that you don't get better on this medication, you just slow it own. Each person is different on their rate of slowdown
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My motto is "better living through chemistry" and I am a big proponent of trying drugs that MIGHT help, and monitoring their effectiveness carefully.

But the fact is, only 5 drugs have been approved in the US by the FDA for treatment of symptoms of dementia. Donepezil is one of them.

NONE of the five drugs cures dementia. NONE of them slows down the disease, or as a researcher I recently heard put it, none "changes the inexorable trajectory of the disease." Here is what the Mayo Clinic website says about dementia drugs: "Unfortunately, Alzheimer's drugs don't work for everyone, and they can't cure the disease or stop its progression. Over time, their effects wear off."

And realize that these drugs have been approved for ALZHEIMER's disease.Nearly half of all dementia patients have some other kind of dementia, or mixed dementia. Who knows if/how well they work for other types of dementia?

My husband had Lewy Body Dementia. Donepezil was very useful in treating both cognitive issues and behavioral issues -- lowered hallucinations, for example -- and remained so for many years (as we found out when we discontinued it on hospice.)

From my perspective, even if the drug has a disappointing performance record over all, it is worth trying. Your loved one may be among the lucky ones it works well for, as my husband was. But if it doesn't seem to make anything better, I wouldn't continue it in hopes it will "slow down" the progress of the disease. No evidence for that. It either helps now or it doesn't help.
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Donezipl platoes the symptoms
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my husband is on it along with a very small dose of Seroquel for hallucinations and seems to be doing reasonably well altho certainly is declining (started on it 1 1/2 yrs ago)
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My 92 year old M-I-L started taking a small dosage of this along with Serequil in April and while we didn't see an improvement in her paranoia right away she now has stopped talking to herself accusing people of stealing from her and wanting to get rid of her. Donepezil isn't the only thing different in her routine so I would say it has helped!
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Doneprizil IS the only difference...not isn't...sorry!
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My mom has been on the Exelon patch since we moved her in with me (2 1/2 yrs ago) and she seems to be doing well on that. Strictly moderate dementia at this time, she was diagnosed with mild dementia back in 2010, so it is progressing slower than some others. She is 92 now and we think this is probably the best way to go for the immediate future. Nothing is going to slow down the disease, but this patch seems to be helping her more than any pill she's tried.
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My husband has been on it for a few years. I did some research and learned that there is no medication that will improve ALZ, there is only medication that will delay or slow down the progression. I consult two doctors and the pharmacist every six months. They all say stay on because it is not harming him and may actually be helping and do it until there is change.
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