Neurostimulant meds?

General
1

Hey Everyone!
So, this doctors are wanting to give my sister some Neuro-stimulant medication. I’m wondering if anyone here has had to have them and how they have helped or NOT helped. Here are the ones they are thinking of:
Amantadine
Bromocriptine
Aricept
Acetyl - L - Carnitine

They have thrown a ton of meds at her during this whole process. I’m sure that’s normal. I just don’t know much about all the medications they give her. Some are NOT a fit. They make things worse.
Any insights would be SO appreciated!
Sincerely,
Wendy I.

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I didn’t have to go to a care facility, just have my parents babysit me. But I know my Neurologist didn’t like my tremor and other neurological deficits and threw more meds at me than a dog can shake a stick and none of them did well. I call it the “shotgun method” where they throw what they know in hopes something will work.

@ronk may have more insight his rupture was pretty bad though none are good. I hope others who do have more experience come and share…

It is important for someone to know her meds, more importantly their side effects, even the rare ones. If they have a good relationship with a pharmacist, the pharmacist can explain the meds and side effects or someone can always print them out from the drug manufacturer.

3

My wife has been taking Amantadine for 6 months or so. It was prescribed to help with fatigue and deficiencies. At first i thought it was helpful now i don’t think it is. She still sleeps more than 15 hours a day and is still suffering from confusion bad short memory loss and other issues. The doctor has been trying other drug cocktails looking better results.
Keep us informed about your sisters progress.

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I wish I could say things have gotten better. They are worse. They are throwing drugs at her right and left and NONE are really working because they are for mood disorders like bi-polar. They are making her crazy. Her kids don’t know anything about what the drugs do to a person and I fear they are just trusting the doctors because they have no clue what else to do.
I’m afraid of what she will end up like when this is all said and done. :frowning_face:

5

Sorry to read this. Many times medications are developed for one thing, and the medical community finds it helps with another. This is called “off label”. Aspirin is a good example. When I was a kid, it was for aches and pains then somewhere along the way they found it to be useful to help prevent blood clots. Eventually the FDA approved it for use in men with TIAs to reduce risk of stroke and then a decade or so later for women to prevent heart attacks (I’m fascinated with the history of medicine) https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/ben/prc/2012/00000007/00000001/art00009?crawler=true#:~:text=In%201980%2C%20US%20Food%20and,in%20preventing%20unstable%20angina%20pectoris.

Many times in my experience, both with myself and clients I served, doctors will go through a plethora of meds to try to find out the right one or the combination of right ones to help us. They do the best they can with the information they receive, the information may not always be correct.

Where is your sister now? Is she in a convalescent facility, at home, or living with family? Do you know which type of doctor, PA’s or NP’s are prescribing her medications? Do her children understand why the medicine is being prescribed? Who holds her Medical Power of Attorney? Have you been given permission to speak with her medical providers and for them to speak to you? Do you get to visit with her often? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to understand what you’re seeing.