I took my husband to his follow-up appointment to see his neurologist on Thursday. He prescribed Rexulti because of his new symptoms from Alz. After only 2 nights of taking the smallest dose he had pain and his stomach was upset from the meds. You are supposed to take the smallest dose to begin with and lead up to higher doses. He has a follow-up in 4 weeks to see how he did on them. Now he won't take them because he does not feel well. I did call the office the next day and they said to ride it out. But I don't think I will. I will call the doctor back on Monday. What do you think. Appreciate input .
We aren't on this Forum qualified to answer individual's questions regarding medications, side effects and what to do about them; that is a matter for you and your MD only.
You can look up the side effects of this medication easily online, and can in fact look up support phone contacts for this medication. It is added on for some patients who are taking anti-depressants and is usually added onto another anti-depressant they are already taking. The usual side effects are mentioned along with even suicidal ideation.
I would not be "rising anything out" on the word of an office. I would take no further meds without discussion with the doctor.
Discuss this with your hubby's MD as soon as possible.
Have you gone on lie to the drug's site to see if there are suggestion for combating the side effects?
Your pharmacist might have some suggestions as well. (often it is more helpful to talk to the pharmicist than the doctor)
Is there another mdication that might help with the new symptoms he is having?
Honestly many of the medications that are given to "slow the progression" of dementia work for some but not for everyone.
The second medication that was prescribed for my Husband (Namenda) was one that you had to start with the lowest dose then gradually increase the dose. I found that with each dose change there was a change in him, and not a good one. He never mentioned a stomach upset, or not feeling well.
I spoke with the doctor and decided to titrate him down off the drug. So he remained just on Aricept for the duration. And I probably could have discontinued it long before I did. At some point the medications no longer are effective (if they did much to begin with as you never know how fast the decline would have been. It is a crapshoot either way)
I have been just reading some of the side effects and there is a Black Box warning that there is an increased mortality risk for "elderly patients with dementia"
woke my son up and said there was a food delivery
for us. I told this all to the doctor that is why he prescribed the rexulti. He does not want to eat
because he had diarrhea and pain in his stomach. I gave him chamomile tea and yesterday just some saltines and ginger ale. I gave him the heating pad
to sooth his stomach pain.