Lewy Body Dementia
Its Christmas, the air is cold as you step out of your car. You hurriedly grab your coat, and several bags and the pumpkin pie. You walk up the sidewalk you played on as a child. It has been several months since you have been here, and you notice several small changes. There is no holiday wreath on the door, and the welcome mat is the Welcome Spring mat. You cock your head, and think, well maybe she is just tired and forgot to put it out. Life is busy, busier than you would truly like. An occasional phone call is the extent of your contact with your mom for the last few years. Her home is several hours away, and you are a single mother with teenagers and a career. After a brief knock, you step in the house. And …show more content…
There is also a variety of other symptoms. The onset of the disease is typically between the ages of 50 to 85. The path to diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia can be long, at times takin over a year. Many different test such as brain imaging, laboratory blood testing, and functional testing all plays a part in the diagnosis process. Treatment can consist of medicaitons, various therapies, and caregiver education, the prognosis and stages of the disease is very individualized, with many different factors playing a part in the course of the disease. Lewy Body dementia affects not only the individual diagnosed, but close family members, and care givers. (Lewy Body Dementia Association …show more content…
At this point in medicine, treatment is to minimize symptoms, and perhaps delay the progression of the disease. There are several medicaitons that can improve symptoms. Cholinesterase inhibitors, such as Exelon, and Aricept are commonly prescribed. “Cholinesterase inhibitors bind to cholinesterase resulting in increased acetylcholine in the synapses, causing increased parasympathetic activity… They penetrate the blood brain barrier and enhance cholinergic transmission in the brain. These agents are used to treat dementia in patients.” (Drugs.com Staff) Klonopin, a medication used to control seizures is helpful in relieving anxiety, and easing sleep disturbances. Stimulants are sometimes prescribed to treat excessive sleepiness. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, used to treat depression are often well tolerated by people with LBD. Atypical anti-psychiatrics such as Seroquel or Risperdal are used to treat related
Its Christmas, the air is cold as you step out of your car. You hurriedly grab your coat, and several bags and the pumpkin pie. You walk up the sidewalk you played on as a child. It has been several months since you have been here, and you notice several small changes. There is no holiday wreath on the door, and the welcome mat is the Welcome Spring mat. You cock your head, and think, well maybe she is just tired and forgot to put it out. Life is busy, busier than you would truly like. An occasional phone call is the extent of your contact with your mom for the last few years. Her home is several hours away, and you are a single mother with teenagers and a career. After a brief knock, you step in the house. And …show more content…
There is also a variety of other symptoms. The onset of the disease is typically between the ages of 50 to 85. The path to diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia can be long, at times takin over a year. Many different test such as brain imaging, laboratory blood testing, and functional testing all plays a part in the diagnosis process. Treatment can consist of medicaitons, various therapies, and caregiver education, the prognosis and stages of the disease is very individualized, with many different factors playing a part in the course of the disease. Lewy Body dementia affects not only the individual diagnosed, but close family members, and care givers. (Lewy Body Dementia Association …show more content…
At this point in medicine, treatment is to minimize symptoms, and perhaps delay the progression of the disease. There are several medicaitons that can improve symptoms. Cholinesterase inhibitors, such as Exelon, and Aricept are commonly prescribed. “Cholinesterase inhibitors bind to cholinesterase resulting in increased acetylcholine in the synapses, causing increased parasympathetic activity… They penetrate the blood brain barrier and enhance cholinergic transmission in the brain. These agents are used to treat dementia in patients.” (Drugs.com Staff) Klonopin, a medication used to control seizures is helpful in relieving anxiety, and easing sleep disturbances. Stimulants are sometimes prescribed to treat excessive sleepiness. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, used to treat depression are often well tolerated by people with LBD. Atypical anti-psychiatrics such as Seroquel or Risperdal are used to treat related