Has anyone heard of this Exelon Patch? It seems that it is just as effective as the pill form, and perhaps even more effective because it provides a continuous release throughout the day while bypassing the body's GI system. I know one sure benefit would be that it eliminates struggling with administering medications by mouth to the AD individual. But then again, that patch might be picked off by afternoon article link: http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20 ... skin-patch
Article:


Alzheimer’s Disease Health Center

FDA OKs 1st Alzheimer's Skin Patch
Once-Daily Exelon Patch Also Approved to Treat Mild to Moderate Parkinson's Disease Dementia
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

July 9, 2007 -- The FDA has approved Exelon Patch, the first skin patch for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.

Exelon Patch is also approved to treat mild to moderate Parkinson's disease dementia, according to Exelon's maker, the drug company Novartis.

Exelon isn't a new drug. It's already available in capsules to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and mild to moderate dementia associated with Parkinson's disease.

In July 2006, researchers reported that putting Exelon in a patch form might simplify the drug's use (especially for people who have trouble swallowing pills) and reduce nausea and vomiting associated with Exelon's class of drugs.

Exelon Patch "greatly reduces" the drug's gastrointestinal side effects, says Novartis.

The patch is applied once daily to the back, chest, or upper arm. It maintains steady blood levels of the drug throughout the day, according to Novartis.
Exelon Patch's Approval

Novartis says that the FDA approved Exelon Patch based on results from an international study that included nearly 1,200 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.

The patients took Exelon capsules, wore the Exelon patch, or got a placebo treatment.

"Exelon Patch showed similar efficacy to the highest doses of Exelon capsules and the recommended dose (9.5 milligrams per 24 hours) was generally well tolerated by patients," says Novartis.

At higher-than-recommended doses, the patch is associated with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, appetite loss, and weight loss, notes Novartis.

We are using this. Mom's going into her 3rd month. For her, we have seen improvement in that she is more talkative, there is less stammering when she does talk and she is regaining some interest in what's going on around her.

For example, a few nights ago my work called and I was having a rather long conversation with them about something. Mom actually came into the room to ask who was on the phone. She hasn't done that in ages. My brother says when he talks to her on the phone, she almost sounds like she did last year.

Of course, her cognitive problems are still there. She could not handle her own finances like this or drive, but she had been declining over the summer and into the fall...any improvement in her personality-wise is a plus.

She has not had any of the side effects listed. The patch form is said to cause less side effects than the pill. We have 1 more month of patches and we have to switch her to the pill because we are trying to stretch her Medicare drug benefit as much as possible. I will update when we have switched her over to let you know if she has side effects with the pill form.

Wanted to add also...mom leaves her patches in place but they can be placed on any part of the upper body, so if a person tends to pick at them you can place them in the middle of the back (where they likely can't reach) so that's a big plus with this method of the drug.

Wow, that's great... I'm happy to hear you are seeing some positive results from this patch. Definitely keep me updated on any changes once she switches to the pill form. I would think that would be a good test to the true effectiveness of the patch, i.e., if the symptoms she was experiencing prior to the patch use came back.

The neurologist said that she will get the same benefit from the pills as the patch, the major difference between the 2 forms is the side effect--diarrhea seems to be more of an issue with pill form. Of course, if she has any side effects from pills we'll get her back on the patch.

We are going into month #2 with the pill form and there have not been any side effects. One thing that is very important if your LO takes pills is that they MUST have something to eat prior to taking them, they seem to be hard on the stomach. If your LO eats very little the patch form would probably be better, since the pills are taken twice a day.

The progress I saw in her as far as interaction with others is still there, does not seem to have diminished with changing the form of the medication.

Hi Judy,

Was wondering why you had to switch your mom to the pill form of Exelon for Medicare benefits? Is she still doing well on it? This is the first drug we have used for my mom stage 5/6 because she was so agitated. She has been on it almost a month. She had 2 really good weeks but isn't doing well again. She is always upset thinking my family is stealing her things, and has threatened to run away several times. She was on the lowest dose so I just called and the Dr. doubled it for the next set. She will start on that tomorrow, hopefully.

Thanks so much,

~Kelly~