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Exelon Patch: 30 Day Review

We decided to try the Exelon patch for Pat's Alzheimer symptoms because we have seen it advertised on television and it sounded so promising. Plus, the patch is put on only once a day and the pill is twice a day so the patch ends up being a little cheaper. Prescription prices are so high for the elderly even with insurance. Plus Alzheimer's medicines are expensive. I swear they are so expensive because of their importance and necessity. People are going to buy those above all else.

I really hoped that the Exelon patch would show better results for Pat. But as we found out, there is no getting better with Alzheimer's. There is only prolonging the inevitable which is a pretty sad outlook on things. And it makes it hard to tell if the medicine is doing its job or not.

We switched Pat over to Exelon a month ago and decided we would see the medicine through no matter what and see how she did with it.

Right away we noticed that she had stomach upset. And in the afternoon, before switching the patch, she would ask a lot of questions, so I called her doctor. He felt that this was just the natural progression of the disease and that a change back to Namenda wouldn't fix anything. I said we would continue to try it out for the whole 30 days.

We decided to wait to see if things leveled off for her. But they didn't. She had times when she spoke and it didn't make any sense. Like when she came into my office and just said, "Chris, belong. Chris belong." I had no idea what she was talking about. It took a good 10 minutes to figure out that she was asking me if it was my office. I think that is what she meant anyway. Sometimes I just don't get what she is saying.

The mornings are the worse for her. I don't know if it is because she is still sleepy, the medicine is stronger, or if that is just how it is for her, but since she has been on the patch, it's been a completely different level.

Don't get me wrong. I wish the patch had worked for her. There were a couple benefits to using the patch over taking a pill. Another pill. How many pills can one person takeanyway? I know there are some people that take more. Luckily, for her she only takes them twice a day so the Namenda just goes in the mix of things, but she is so fragile. It must upset her stomach now and then.

The continuous release of medicine in to her body 24 hours a day is a plus to the Exelon patch. With the pill, you take it twice a day but it doesn't have the gradual release the patch has. Still, it seemed to me that there were definite spikes in her clarity that were different than sundowning.

Also the patch is tiny. It's about the size of a quarter, slightly bigger. And because it is a patch, I was able to put it on her back without her even realizing it. It did leave sticky circles on her back after each use, but it didn't irritate her skin at all.

Alzheimer's medicines don't work the same on everyone. Namenda seems to be the right one for Pat. She has been back on Namenda only a day and already it seems to have made a difference. She seems like she is more cognitive and less irritable. According to the doctors she should just keep getting worse but I feel the Namenda will balance her off and she will be back to the way she was before using the patch.

For some, the Exelon patch is good. It's just what they need to level off and fight Alzheimer's declining effects. For others, like Pat, it doesn't work as good as other options. I think anyone who is dealing with Alzheimer's should investigate all the options they can afford to try. Each person is different.

Categorized: Alzheimer's, Reviews

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