Memantine for Alzheimer's Disease User Reviews (Page 2)

• Suz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 26, 2019

"My mother has dementia. She's been taking donepezil (Aricept) for about 5 years. 14 days ago, the Dr. added memantine (generic Namenda). My mother's confusion has amplified. I have researched the side effects, and confusion is one of them. I'm glad I found this site to know that others have had problems too, and it's not just me overthinking. I'm taking her off of it immediately."

• DIN...
• July 19, 2017

"Experimental drug, they say it MAY slow progression. For most, it makes symptoms WORSE. Your doctor will not listen to you. Because they need to keep experimenting.... on your loved ones. My mother went from mild symptoms to a complete shutdown, actually unable to function. The doctor's solution was to double the dosage. Also, the drugstore wants to fill the script 5 to 7 days early EVERY month. This makes 14 months' worth a year, so you end up throwing pills away. Doesn't take much insight to see what's going on. Fix this and fix America's health care skyrocketing costs. Doctors have become drug reps and politicians. Pretty arrogant. I couldn't even have a conversation with the doctor about this drug, I knew more than him after 15 minutes of research."

• Ani...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 24, 2020

"My mother-in-law was on Aricept for one year and could only take 5 mg a day because anything over that caused night terrors. Last week, her doctor said the disease was progressing too fast, so they put her on memantine. After taking only four pills, she could not speak, could not move her legs, had no idea where she was. We took her off the medication, and she is slowly gaining her speech and mobility back. Not sure if there is any permanent damage from the drug yet, but I definitely will never let her take it again."

• Fam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 19, 2021

"Mom has dementia. After taking memantine, she exhibited strange and unusual behavior. Up at night in a daze, highly unusual verbal statements, confusion, decline in balance. Told her doctor about her strange behavior, he totally ignored my comments, said it was dementia, not the drug, and doubled her dosage. On memantine, she acts as if drunk or out of her normal state of mind. I would not recommend. Might work better for some."

• Hea...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 1, 2019

"My mum was put on memantine just over a year ago for symptoms from vascular dementia. The starting dose of 10 mg made her very sleepy, after consulting with the geriatrician (psychiatrist), it was increased to 15 mg, and the changes were almost instant. Mum started answering the telephone, having conversations again. No noticeable side effects. Recently, she has become very quiet and less chatty, so the dose has been increased to 20 mg. Mum has become very sleepy again, so not sure if it’s the dementia or meds. Time will tell. We are in Scotland, so meds are free."

• jld...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 10, 2020

"My mom started taking memantine, and after taking it for two weeks, I believe this medication caused her to have very high blood pressure, 220/110. She NEVER had issues with her BP before. She had to go to the ER due to a subconjunctival hemorrhage, which was very scary! She immediately stopped taking this medication after that incident."

• Roc...
• March 13, 2018

"My dad was in advanced stage Alzheimer's, experiencing hallucinations and garbled sentences. He has been on the medication for about 6 weeks, and I see a huge improvement. His hallucinations have disappeared along with his garbled sentences. He does experience headaches and lightheadedness. The first week on it, he was sleepy and mean, but this subsided. I don't know how long this will last, but I see a marked improvement."

• Anonymous
• January 10, 2018

Memantine "My dad took this medication, and on the 7 mg and 14 mg did quite well. At first, I thought it was a miracle drug. Being time-released was wonderful, but it was so dang expensive. Almost $220.00 for a two-week supply. We got the generic from the VA, which is not time-released, and it was awful. We took him off it, and the hallucinations continue, but at least they are friendly people."

• Fra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 30, 2022

"My mum had a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s with mixed dementia. First week on initial dose of 5 mg and started day one of 10 mg. My mum became more anxious than ever, looked horrendous, and was unable to sleep well. She felt sick, had severe nausea, and got quite emotional and upset on the drug. The drug didn’t work for her. After 8 days, we were advised to stop the drug. I worried that trying the drug actually made her worse. Who knows - it’s all just a hit or a miss really. A trial for each person, I feel."

• Sat...
• October 30, 2019

"My mom is on memantine and donepezil for Alzheimer's for the past 6 months. She is doing well now. In the middle, she missed her pill for 1 week, and her condition became worse, like hallucinations, forgetting family members, and not dressing properly. After starting again, she recovered. I hope this works for her for a long, long time."

• ARC...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 16, 2024

"I only use it once a day. I was prescribed 10 mg from the off, after reading about it, I am surprised that I was prescribed 10 mg from the off. I am supposed to take it 2x daily, but it makes me very dizzy, so I only take it once a day."

• MSD...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 5, 2018

"My mother and stepmother both have dementia. My mother was on the Exelon patch, and my stepmother is on donepezil and memantine. She started it at stage 4. I see no real positive effects. The side effects are really bad and require additional medication. I think that this drug may help in the earlier stages. It's very expensive and difficult to give. The extended release is better for Alzheimer's patients. Not sure I would take it. Causes mood swings."

• Jan...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 26, 2021

"My husband was diagnosed at 54, and a year later, he started memantine, as well as rivastigmine patches that he was already taking. He was prescribed from 5 to 20 mg over the first month but settled at 5 mg as he felt dizziness and headaches at 10 mg. I did feel like his motivation returned a bit, and he was doing very well. He had become quite aggressive over the last few months (bullying really), it has been bad. Then he started taking the tablets on alternate days, then decided he wouldn't take any more. Since he has come off them, his aggression has gone, and I am so relieved. I do worry that perhaps his cognitive abilities will reduce, but so far, they have improved - he has also started taking a cholesterol tablet, however, so I can't tell if it's the lack of memantine or the pravastatin that is helping - he has started putting the telly on and watched a couple of things, which he hasn't done since soon after memantine was introduced. I hope this helps. Free in the UK, by the way."

• Dee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 30, 2018

"My father has been diagnosed with dementia. He was gradually getting worse, not recognizing us (his adult children) and not sure which era he was in (he is 92 years of age). Then he started wandering on the road. My mum was at her wit's end looking after him. Then his doctor prescribed Marixino, and it literally has been a complete turnaround. He is back over in his garden, pottering about, he remembers all our names, knows who he is again, laughs, tells jokes, and has his little sarcastic humor back! My brother also has been giving our dad Dioralyte for dehydration and Movicol to help his bowel movements, and a combination of all these seems to have greatly improved dad's whole well-being."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 28, 2024

Memantine "My mom is taking Namenda XR 28 mg. She tried the generic version and had a negative reaction. Went back to name brand Namenda med until now. She is without her medication now because the pharmacy doesn’t sell it anymore."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 30, 2024

"I am a healthcare proxy for a friend, and she was suffering from anxiety due to memory loss. We did three things for her: hearing aids, memantine, and an anti-anxiety medication about three months ago. We have seen great improvement in her memory, her anxiety, and her ability to function on her own in her home. She is 86. She continues on a 5mg per day dosage."

• Tin...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 28, 2018

Memantine "My mother was on this for several years when she lived alone. She had increasing anxiety over time to the point of not being suitable to go to a restaurant. I asked her to go off it for a while. The difference in her anxiety off this medication was astounding. She went back on this medication fearing her dementia was worsening off of it. The family physician prescribed Trazodone to counteract the anxiety. Over a two-month period, her decline was extremely marked. She did not have anxiety but had a huge decline in memory and personality. She is now off of both meds and has very low anxiety. However, it looks like the decline in memory is permanent. Her psychiatrist told us long ago that these medications do nothing and have some pretty severe side effects."

• Mom...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 22, 2023

"I am not sure how to update a previous review. My 82-year-old mother is now on a 14 mg ER and is doing much better. This medication made her much more functional but still left her very combative at times. Her neurologist suggested adding Galantamine ER 8 mg, and that combined with the Memantine improved her mood for most of the day. She still has memory issues, but we have avoided needing to have her go to a nursing home, and most times she is enjoyable to be around."

• R 7...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 2, 2022

"A case study. Taking prescribed 10 mg twice/day with food since early 2019. In mid-2020 (mid-COVID-19) I didn't take memantine for 2 months, then realized things were 'foggy' and ramped back up in 3 days. In 2 weeks, no more fogginess and have kept the dosage since with minor increased dementia. Have had symptoms similar to pre-Alzheimer's for probably 20 years or more, now mild or low-moderate dementia--hard to tell because I nearly pass the quick oral tests but forget, fumble for words, multitask poorly, and lose balance. Physically very healthy, abnormally fit (heavy HIIT 3 or 4 times/week), neuroscience background, pretty good diet, almost no alcohol, Wordle and NYT crosswords daily. Dementia, especially when tired, need food, or stressed."

• Nam...
• August 20, 2017

Memantine "My mom is 94 years old and has been prescribed Namenda XR once a day for Alzheimer's disease. It has helped her to be quite clear and focused. When our neighbor recently fell and broke her back, mom asked to find out the name of the rehab facility so she could send her flowers. Mom remembered that in January 2016, she fell and broke her tibia and fibula (leg), and this neighbor sent my mom an orchid plant, making mom feel very happy. Mom still forgets current information. Where are we going? To the doctor. 10 minutes later, where are we going? To the doctor. Also, this medication is pricey, $162.01!"

• MNU...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 30, 2024

"Have taken memantine 5 mg once daily for 2 weeks; starting twice daily today. No side effects. I feel more alert and mentally engaged. I have seen an increase in desire and ability to do tasks that I have avoided previously, such as cleaning my closet and doing more challenging physical activities."

• Kyl...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 15, 2016

"Before my seizures, my memory was almost perfect, after, I was lucky if I could remember 2 minutes ago. Namenda helped me with one of the effects of the seizures and MS I hated the most. It has helped me feel closer to the me before the seizures than any of the medications have. The only negative is the price, and I'm fighting an uphill battle trying to get any kind of insurance."

• Hei...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 23, 2017

"I was just reviewing this medicine and had about given up on it for my husband. Then I read about the man who has taken it for 5 years and has not had a bad reaction. The doctor gave it to my husband because he said it will get more oxygen to the brain. My husband does not have Alzheimer's, but he was taking medicine for bipolar, and his side effect for psychotic drugs was bad neurological conditions. He has been on memantine for 9 months. He seems to be alright, but I will look for any side effects."

• RFa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 9, 2019

"Started this about 5 weeks ago and take 10 mg 2x daily. Using it with 100 mg Luvox and 450 mg Wellbutrin for OCD. Not too many side effects to date. Work up to the maintenance dose. The Luvox is a different story. Had to go back on Wellbutrin to stay awake. Also using low dose Naltrexone daily. Years of benzos, alcohol, and Ambien took its toll on my memory."

• Lau...
• December 23, 2024

"I am 61 and in the early stage of Alzheimer's. I was having problems with forgetting where I was driving to, repeating questions, and sometimes forgetting names. I take 5 mg a day of memantine. My family and I have noticed a big difference in my memory as I am not repeating myself as often and not having problems with names and driving. I have not had any side effects."