It’s been almost three weeks since I started taking 5mg of Donepezil each day. For the first ten days it was a bit of a roller coaster which explains the delay between posts. I had headaches, diarrhoea and felt very dizzy. The dizziness was the worst thing and even when I was sitting down things still seemed to keep moving. I knew these were all normal side effects and the med sheet told me that this usually calmed down after a couple of weeks. I stayed very close to home, strapped in and hoped for the best.
The side effects lessened with each day and on day ten I woke up to find that the dizziness was also gone. I recognised that something had definitely ‘clicked’ in my brain. I’ve been thinking of the best way to describe what it feels like and it’s like the clarity/brightness button on a TV. I still don’t know what day of the week it is but I’m able to concentrate on tasks for the first time in months. Even my inner voice sounds a bit smarter than she did! 😊
I feel that there has been a definite shift and I am so incredibly grateful for it. Could it be a placebo effect? Absolutely but I don’t really care - it’s working!
Now for the not-so-great news. For reasons I don’t understand the medication will only have this effect for a maximum of 2 years. The average patient with Alzheimer’s has relief from mild to moderate symptoms for 6-12 months.
I will increase to 10mg per day in another couple of weeks and hopefully that will help stabilize my decline for a while. I would be thrilled with an extra six months but if I get more than that I will not say no.
This was a really hard decision; you can only use these meds once and it was really tricky for Greg and I to decide when to pull that pin. I feel a certain amount of relief that we have rolled the dice and it seems to be reaping a reward. Second guessing this kind of decision does nobody any good and “what if’s” right now are pointless. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
I think life is all about perspective - I am thankful for whatever period of extra lucidity is gifted me and I will cherish each moment.
Maybe we should all do that.