[dbrew4]

My mother is 87 years old and has been diagnosed with moderate dementia. She is currently on 10mg of Aricept and seems to be doing well. Her doctor wants her to start on a regiman of Namenda. That regimen would have her on 10mg twice a day after a four week starter regiman. Our problem is that she would not be getting her morning dose on a regular schedule, therefore a 2 dose regiman is not feasible. Will a single dose of 5, 10 or 20mg be of any affect?

[lefty]

From the Namenda info at http://www.drugs.com/PDR/Namenda_Tablets.html

The dosage of NAMENDA (memantine hydrochloride) shown to be effective in controlled clinical trials is 20 mg/day.

The recommended starting dose of NAMENDA is 5 mg once daily. The recommended target dose is 20 mg/day. The dose should be increased in 5 mg increments to 10 mg/day (5 mg twice a day), 15 mg/day (5 mg and 10 mg as separate doses), and 20 mg/day (10 mg twice a day). The minimum recommended interval between dose increases is one week.

NAMENDA can be taken with or without food.

Have you spoken to the doctor about your concerns?
A once daily dose is definitely preferable in patients with dementia.

It is good to hear that your mother is doing well on the Aricept. I had a family member on Aricept and they ended up stopping it due to the side effects - mainly diarrhea and leg cramps.