Community Chat

[pitdakota]

On 1/20/2014 Burnsite said:

57, With all due respect, I totally disagree with your post about drugs. My father neither drank nor smoked. He was a health-conscious dr. He ran several miles a day and had a demanding job. Kept physically and mentally active. He and both his brothers developed early Alzheimer's. His grandmother had developed this rare kind of Alzheimer's, too. No drugs at all, including after he was diagnosed. His physical health was strong. That is why he lived so long.

It is wrong and also rather cruel to say that drug use causes Alzheimer's.

Some drugs used to quiet patients will make them very unresponsive. But you don't know much about Alzheimer's if you think there is no genetic link, or think that patients being sedated has anything to do with the symptoms of Alzheimers.

It's not about forgetting your keys or being sleepy. It's about forgetting that fire is hot, or how to tallk, or what your loved one's names are. Eventually, it's about "forgetting" how to swallow and breathe.

It would not hold true for my father either. He ate incredibly healthy for decades and decades. Exercised on a regular basis and was on absolutely no medications. None. No history of hypertenstion, heart disease, anything that required medications. And he didn't take any OTC meds either.

[pitdakota]

On 1/20/2014 NoelSeven said:

Good points, PD, thanks

Hi Noel!

[pistolino]

On 1/20/2014 NoelSeven said:

LOL! If you can't handle the science behind the discussion, that's your problem.

As for telling me to go elsewhere, let me know when you're the webmaster.

I don't need the "science" - my mother is dead and science didn't help her a bit.

[NoelSeven]

On 1/20/2014 pistolino said:

On 1/20/2014 NoelSeven said:

LOL! If you can't handle the science behind the discussion, that's your problem.

As for telling me to go elsewhere, let me know when you're the webmaster.

I don't need the "science" - my mother is dead and science didn't help her a bit.

You may not need it, but there are those of us who realize the importance of science and truth.

You on the other hand are quite content with rumor and the personal observation of a non-professional, but not what studies show. Relying on nothing but such personal observation belongs in the 14th century, not this one.

[pistolino]

On 1/20/2014 NoelSeven said:

On 1/20/2014 pistolino said:

On 1/20/2014 NoelSeven said:

LOL! If you can't handle the science behind the discussion, that's your problem.

As for telling me to go elsewhere, let me know when you're the webmaster.

I don't need the "science" - my mother is dead and science didn't help her a bit.

You may not need it, but there are those of us who realize the importance of science and truth.

You on the other hand are quite content with rumor and the personal observation of a non-professional, but not what studies show. Relying on nothing but such personal observation belongs in the 14th century, not this one.

You must be one of the robots making $$$ on the disease. Dolla dolla bill, y'all.

[57babe]

On 1/20/2014 pitdakota said:

On 1/20/2014 57babe said:

On 1/20/2014 pitdakota said:

On 1/20/2014 57babe said:

On 1/20/2014 Burnsite said:

57, With all due respect, I totally disagree with your post about drugs. My father neither drank nor smoked. He was a health-conscious dr. He ran several miles a day and had a demanding job. Kept physically and mentally active. He and both his brothers developed early Alzheimer's. His grandmother had developed this rare kind of Alzheimer's, too. No drugs at all, including after he was diagnosed. His physical health was strong. That is why he lived so long.

It is wrong and also rather cruel to say that drug use causes Alzheimer's.

Some drugs used to quiet patients will make them very unresponsive. But you don't know much about Alzheimer's if you think there is no genetic link, or think that patients being sedated has anything to do with the symptoms of Alzheimers.

It's not about forgetting your keys or being sleepy. It's about forgetting that fire is hot, or how to tallk, or what your loved one's names are. Eventually, it's about "forgetting" how to swallow and breathe.

I'm sorry but you've misunderstood my comments.

My comments on this thread had to do with what I believe is only ONE of the causes of dementia --drug induced dementia.

Nowhere did I say that ALL dementia's, including the dementia type that your father has -- was caused by drugs.

I disagree that it is cruel to make others aware that there is evidence that certain types of drugs taken long-term can cause dementia. There is evidence that specific drugs are contributing to dementia, such as statin drugs which the FDA recently warned, causes memory loss.

Yes, I've said that there are many causes of dementia. Just for the record, I also know of people who have dementia -- and like your father, have never taken drugs of any kind, never smoked and live a healthy lifestyle.

On the other hand, I also know of several people who have been diagnosed as having early on-set dementia. Their doctors told them that the cause of their dementia was their long-term use of (specific) prescription drugs.

I've also stated that there are dementia's that have a genetic link.

If there is evidence that certain drugs cause cognitive decline and/or full-blown dementia shouldn't we know about that so we can decide whether we want to take the risk of taking those drugs?

I definitely believe that there is a such thing as drug induced dementia, that it may be one of the causes of dementia. I believe it's possible to prevent drug induced dementia by identifying the drugs that are implicated in causing dementia and avoiding them -- if possible.

There is no such information from the FDA that states that statins cause dementia. The FDA has reported to the public and health care providers that there have been some cases of memory loss and confusion occurring when patients started statin therapy which RESOLVED once the medication was discontinued. That is not the same thing as dementia of any type. Apples and oranges.

I've observed quite the opposite in elderly friends who have stopped statins once they realized they were having memory issues --- cognitive decline that has not resolved.

This is about what you posted. You posted that specific drugs are contributing to dementia and cited the FDA. The way you stated that is convoluted at best and is certainly misleading as written.

Confusion and memory loss that starts with the initiation of statin therapy and resolves as soon as statin therapy is discontinued is not dementia. Just as ICU psychosis is not psychosis. Remove the patient from ICU and the symptoms disappear, they were not "psychotic". It is a generic, broadly applied term. You are trying to make them one and the same and they are not.

Sleep deprivation causes confusion and memory loss. There are many things that cause confusion and memory loss. That does not translate into dementia, by any means.

I didn't write anything convoluted or misleading.

I read some of the research behind the FDA's warning about the link of statins to memory loss and confusion AND in some cases the person's memory loss and confusion did not resolve after discontinuing the drug -- the brain damage was permanent.

[NoelSeven]

On 1/20/2014 pistolino said:

On 1/20/2014 NoelSeven said:

On 1/20/2014 pistolino said:

On 1/20/2014 NoelSeven said:

LOL! If you can't handle the science behind the discussion, that's your problem.

As for telling me to go elsewhere, let me know when you're the webmaster.

I don't need the "science" - my mother is dead and science didn't help her a bit.

You may not need it, but there are those of us who realize the importance of science and truth.

You on the other hand are quite content with rumor and the personal observation of a non-professional, but not what studies show. Relying on nothing but such personal observation belongs in the 14th century, not this one.

You must be one of the robots making $$$ on the disease. Dolla dolla bill, y'all.

Nope. You're really not very good at the "real life" bit you claim to embrace.

However, it is your choice never to see an actual MD because you don't like science... just ask a friend instead.

And I don't want to upset you, but it was science which brought you the computer you've been on today. Maybe you ought to dump that, too.

[occasionalrain]

Wasn't there a study that linked aspartame to brain damage? If I recall, it had to do with mini strokes. Tell me if I'm wrong.

I have to think that a lot of what is in our food contributes to the increase in dementia.

[pitdakota]

On 1/20/2014 57babe said:

On 1/20/2014 pitdakota said:

On 1/20/2014 57babe said:

On 1/20/2014 pitdakota said: <blockquote class="quote_author">

There is no such information from the FDA that states that statins cause dementia. The FDA has reported to the public and health care providers that there have been some cases of memory loss and confusion occurring when patients started statin therapy which RESOLVED once the medication was discontinued. That is not the same thing as dementia of any type. Apples and oranges.

I've observed quite the opposite in elderly friends who have stopped statins once they realized they were having memory issues --- cognitive decline that has not resolved.

This is about what you posted. You posted that specific drugs are contributing to dementia and cited the FDA. The way you stated that is convoluted at best and is certainly misleading as written.

Confusion and memory loss that starts with the initiation of statin therapy and resolves as soon as statin therapy is discontinued is not dementia. Just as ICU psychosis is not psychosis. Remove the patient from ICU and the symptoms disappear, they were not "psychotic". It is a generic, broadly applied term. You are trying to make them one and the same and they are not.

Sleep deprivation causes confusion and memory loss. There are many things that cause confusion and memory loss. That does not translate into dementia, by any means.

I didn't write anything convoluted or misleading.

I read some of the research behind the FDA's warning about the link of statins to memory loss and confusion AND in some cases the person's memory loss and confusion did not resolve after discontinuing the drug -- the brain damage was permanent.

The FDA has not put out any information relating the use of statins to dementia. Period. If you are stating the brain damage is permanent and the FDA has stated so, you are mistaken. HERE IS THE link to the FDA's safety warnings. All health care providers received this information.

In case you don't want to click on the link, the information states: "Memory loss and confusion have been reported with statin use. These reported events were generally not serious and went away once the drug was no longer being taken".

Brain damage that is permanent does not disappear "once the drug was no longer being taken".

[57babe]

Pit,

Here is the FDA warning concerning memory loss:

"Certain cognitive (brain-related) effects have been reported with statin use. Statin labels will now include information about some patients experiencing memory loss and confusion. These reports generally have not been serious and the patients’ symptoms were reversed by stopping the statin. However, patients should still alert their health care professional if these symptoms occur."

See that bolded sentence -- these reports GENERALLY.... have not been serious.

However, in those reports there were also some very serious reports of cognitive brain-related effects; such as permanent memory loss resulting in dementia for those unfortunate patients.

Again, these reports of permanent memory loss caused by statins was included in the research that was behind the decision of the FDA to publish the warning.

Permanent memory loss is a hallmark of dementia. If statins can cause permanent memory loss -- statins can cause dementia.