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About Alzheimer's Disease
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Alzheimer's Disease Questions and Answers
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Alzheimer's Disease Resources
About Alzheimer's Disease
Learn about what Alzheimer’s disease is, its symptoms & risk factors, treatment options and how to live with or care for someone with the disease.
Ask an Expert
Doctors advised my 75-year-old husband today that he would no longer benefit from Aricept or Namenda. He is close to the final stage of the disease, but he still sleeps pretty well at night, goes to bathroom on his own (he has had a couple of mishaps but nothing major) and eats regularly; however, he does not appear to know if he is hungry or not. How long will this stage last? [ 08/30/10 ]

Based on your description, your husband still seems to be doing fairly well overall. He is still mobile and can go to the toilet on his own, has as good sleep schedule, and accepts food—all of which are good things and would argue that he is not yet in the final stages of the disease. Therefore, it is very difficult to say how much longer this current stage will last: it could be months or it could be years. The rate of disease progression varies considerably with each patient, and is not even consistent for any given patient (that is, a person may have stable symptoms for several months only to have a rapid decline over the course of a few days). So try to make the most of this time with your husband if or before he should become completely incapacitated.

Also, be aware that the medications your husband is taking may still be helping, albeit much less effectively than previously. Therefore, you may notice an increase in functional or behavioral symptoms once the medications are discontinued, which may make your job as a caregiver more challenging. You should weigh the potential advantages (lowered expenses due to not having to purchase the medications, no possibility of drug side effects) and disadvantages (possible increase in the severity of symptoms, more difficulty for you as the caregiver) of discontinuing your husband’s medication with his doctors before making any final decisions.

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Last Reviewed On: 08/10/10

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