I would do it all again in a minute to follow in the direction of HOPE.....
Marion wrote:
My Dad was diagnosed in January 2008 with Alzheimers. He started the Dimebon Connection study in January 2009 ending July 2009. He has been open label since then. Less than a week after he started the drug we saw positive changes.
It will soon be 1 1/2 years that he has been taking Dimebon and we have observed the following:
1) Operates a car (with no passengers) within a 5 mile radius of his home.
2) He goes into stores, purchases things on his own.
3) He is able to have a conversation with a next door neighbor over the fence, come into the house and repeat key points.
4) His mood and spirit are excellent!
5) There have been no side effects from this drug
6) He is very calm, no anxiety or depression since starting the drug
I am afraid that if he goes off the dimebon he will have a steep decline.
I don't know if these drug companies (Pfizer (PFE), Medivation (MDVN)) know how very difficult it was to try to talk a person with alzheimers into traveling 3 hours to be in a clinical trial in the city.
My Dad's patience amd anxiety during all of the testing was dreadful and of course we had about 4 visits before we were accepted.
If that wasn't challenging enough, my mother, had to come also as his caregiver. My parents are in their eighties....it's not easy taking trains, taxis and buses.
We were compensated $ 50.00 for each visit but it cost us well over $100.00 each time we went to the clinic. Not to mention that I had to take off from work to dedicate the day to the appointment.
I would do it all again in a minute to follow in the direction of HOPE.....
Editor Note: these are the opinions of a reader that was enrolled in a Dimebon clinical trial. They are not employed by or affiliated with the Alzheimer's Reading Room. Name withheld.
Also see --
- The Dimebon Experience -- Sunshine's View
- The Dimebon Experience -- Skericheri's View
- The Dimebon Experience -- Patrice's View
More About the Alzheimer's Reading Room
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- 60 Good Reasons to Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Bob DeMarco is the editor of the Alzheimer's Reading Room and an Alzheimer's caregiver. Bob has written more than 1,400 articles with more than 9,000 links on the Internet. Bob resides in Delray Beach, FL.
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By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room
Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room
