January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. Americans are now caring for a family member or friend with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias, a figure that is expected to climb steadily as the population ages. As well, studies in both Canada and the U.S reveal that far too many of those with the disease are missing out on early treatment that could drastically improve how they deal with the disease.
Benefit of Early Diagnosis
While there is no cure for the disease, the benefit of early diagnosis can lead to a variety of treatments that help to manage symptoms and reduce the quickness the toll of the disease can wage against those who have it. A combination of behavioral and lifestyle changes, support from family, and precautionary measures along with some of the medications that F.D.A. has approved for Alzheimer’s treatment can offer hope for a better way to manage the disease with early diagnosis and add years onto the lifespan of those diagnosed.
At Canada Drugs, Canadian Pharmacy we offer a variety of Alzheimer’s and memory loss medications at a significant discount to the average retail cost at pharmacies in the United States. Medications such as Aricept, Exelon and Reminyl are commonly prescribed medications to those in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and similar dementia disorders. Ebixa (memantine hydrochloride) has been conditionally approved to treat symptoms in people with moderate to advanced Alzheimer’s disease and is also available from Canada Drugs.
The current drug treatments for Alzheimer’s have been shown to have the greatest success in those patients with an early diagnosis. By 2030, the number of people aged 65 and older with Alzheimer’s disease is estimated to reach 7.7 million — a 50 percent increase from the current 5.2 million making early diagnosis essential in the coming years to ensure the people with the disease receive proper treatment.
The Canadian Alzheimer’s Society has an excellent online guide for early warning signs. They are as follows
- Memory loss that affects day-to-day function
- Difficulty performing familiar tasks
- Problems with language
- Disorientation of time and place
- Poor or decreased judgment
- Problems with abstract thinking
- Misplacing things
- Changes in mood and behavior
- Changes in personality
- Loss of initiative
