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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Is The Solution For Short Term Memory Loss At 78 Yrs Of Age?

Memory loss issues. My mom has been experiencing a progressive decline in her short term memory function. She is 78 years old and a heavy smoker. She has recently been prescribed Aricept-5mg in addition to the medications that she is already taking for high cholesterol and blood pressure. Since Aricept, her behavior has been quite erratic, she is more confused and making things up that didn't even happen. I am so worried. She has had brain scans, blood tests, and all seem to come back suggesting that she just has age related brain shrinkage, but no one has said that this could be the beginning, middle or late stages of anything. What additional tests can I request a doctor run to take a closer look. Something is definitely not right with her.
Tue, 18 Mar 2014
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Psychiatrist,  's  Response
Hello,
Thanks for choosing health care magic for posting your query.
I have gone through your question in detail and I can understand what you are going through.
From what you have stated it appears that your mother is having symptoms of dementia and aricept is a good drug for the illness. Its unfortunate that your mother is not tolerating this medicine.The other option is memantine.
Hope I am able to answer your concerns.
If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you.
In future if you wish to contact me directly, you can use the below mentioned link:
bit.ly/dr-srikanth-reddy
                                        
Wish you good health,
Kind regards
Dr. Srikanth Reddy M.D.
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What Is The Solution For Short Term Memory Loss At 78 Yrs Of Age?

Hello, Thanks for choosing health care magic for posting your query. I have gone through your question in detail and I can understand what you are going through. From what you have stated it appears that your mother is having symptoms of dementia and aricept is a good drug for the illness. Its unfortunate that your mother is not tolerating this medicine.The other option is memantine. Hope I am able to answer your concerns. If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you. In future if you wish to contact me directly, you can use the below mentioned link: bit.ly/dr-srikanth-reddy Wish you good health, Kind regards Dr. Srikanth Reddy M.D.