Alzheimer's Disease
Center for Caring
10 Questions to Ask Your Doctor about Alzheimer's Disease and Namenda
When you visit the doctor to talk about next steps in treating the person in your life who has Alzheimer's disease, print out this list of questions and take it with you. The doctor's answers will help guide both of you toward the right treatment now.
Speaking about the person with Alzheimer's disease, ask:
1. How would you categorize his/her current symptoms today: mild, moderate, or severe? What does that mean?
2. How will his/her symptoms change over time?
3. Could treating him/her with Alzheimer's disease medication [or, changing to a different Alzheimer's disease medication] help slow the decline in symptoms?
4. What are the key differences among the Alzheimer's disease treatments available today?
5. What are the potential benefits and risks of treatment and non-treatment?
6. Which of these medications are you considering for him/her now?
7. I've heard Namenda works differently from other Alzheimer's disease medications and can be used in combination with another Alzheimer's medication. Would you consider prescribing Namenda for him/her?
8. I completed this assessment on WebMD. Does this information help you in considering if Namenda is right for him/her?
9. How will I know when I should contact you again about his/her Alzheimer's disease medication?
10. Is there anything else that I should be doing for him/her or for myself?
Information for the Doctor About Namenda®(memantine HCl)
Namenda (memantine HCl), approved on October 16, 2003, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease. Namenda is the only product in a class of medications, called NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate)- receptor antagonists, which treat Alzheimer's disease with a mechanism of action distinct from other currently available drugs. Namenda is administered orally at a recommended dose of 10 mg twice daily following a four-week titration.
In clinical trials, Namenda has excellent safety and tolerability. Namenda is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to memantine HCl or to any excipients used in the formulation. The most common adverse events reported with Namenda vs placebo (greater or than or equal to 5% and higher than placebo) were dizziness, confusion, headache, and constipation. In patients with severe renal impairment, the dosage should be reduced.
For more information about Namenda for your patients with moderate or severe symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, please visit www.namenda.com or contact your Forest Laboratories representative.