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My mother’s doctor gave her something for her memory loss a year ago and she refused to take it. Always saying “ I will let you know when I think my memory is getting bad”. She says her memory is too good that she wishes she could forget some things.


She's Asian but has been here in the states for 55 years. She has always spoken broken English. I would imagine that affects the mind even more having to translate the way she does...? Does anyone else have a parent from Asia?

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I know there are medications that help slow the progression of some forms of Dementia and this may be what your thinking of. There are several herbs and suplaments proported to be good for memory but they wouldn't require a prescription pad and that would be a very progressive doctor but either way if your mom is responsible for her own medications its likely a loosing battle to get her to take something she doesnt want to and I'm not convinced there is definative research proving medications to slow the pregression of Dementia make a big diggrence and they do know not for all paitents and only for specific dementias so I'm not sure it's worth fighting over.

I'm also not sure your question is really about the medication, it sounds like you are concerned she might be developing cognitive issues and are trying to be proactive. From things I have heard and read over the years about keeping the mind sharp (not dementia specifically necessarily) using it to translate and using multiple languages is actually a benefit not a hindrance, it helps keep your brain muscle exercised and sharp so she might actually be helped by English not being her first language and good for her for using English all these years! Are you sure she translates in her head still, I have known several people who are bilingual and they each said there came a point where they began thinking in that second language when speaking it rather than translating. I always though what a skill being able to move back and forth between languages thinking and speaking in them as though you had 2 first languages. Anyway I digress, while I am not of Asian decent I think your moms language barrier may be helping her brain rather than hurting it. If she does go down the dementia road though don't be surprised if in the future (probably well down the road) she reverts back to her native tongue full time, I have also heard this isn't uncommon.
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Ginnybg Nov 2019
Wow! Thank you, I had not thought of it that way, but yes, exercising her brain in any capacity is good.
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There really are no proven medications to stop memory loss. Anyone else? Not that I have heard of. Remember that doctors get 6% of scripts they write out, and often write out scripts for unproven things. If anyone knows of any proven memory loss prevention medications I would love to see the research on them. I honestly do not know of anything proven. Please research the medications prescribed carefully just as a cash loss prevention thing.
I think that the stubbornness for some in taking even needed medications is not certainly limited to those of Asian descent. It seems a universal problem here at the forum.
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Are you referring to Aricept? It does not help memory.

https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-14335/aricept-oral/details
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There is not a medication that will treat memory loss. There are medications that will treat symptoms of dementia. There are no proven meds that will slow dementia progression.
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