Patient/caregiver was educated on precautions to be exercised while taking Namenda as follows:
- Patients with history of mood disorders, secondary to namenda intake, can experience deterioration and worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, such as, feeling low, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, gross appetite changes, impulsiveness, agitation, aggression, and suicidal thoughts. Also, namenda use can on occasions result in lowering of seizure threshold and precipitation of seizures, especially in individuals with history of the same. Notify your physician regarding any such worsening mood changes and episodes of seizures, following namenda intake, so that, your dosage on the medication could be revised accordingly.
- Namenda carries the risk of causing rapid heart rate and elevated blood pressure. Caregivers must closely follow the patients to watch out for symptoms of hypertension, such as, episodes of headache, nose bleeds, blurred vision, complaint of chest pain, pounding sensation in the neck and ears, and confusion. Individuals with history of poorly controlled blood pressure can be at risk for stroke, secondary to elevated blood pressure with namenda. Individuals can present with symptoms of stroke such as, sudden onset of numbness or weakness, especially in one half of the body, poor balance, sudden onset of problems with speech and/or vision, sudden onset of difficulty chewing and swallowing with increased risk for aspiration pneumonia, severe headache, and confusion. Notify your physician regarding development of any of the above mentioned findings, following namenda intake, so that, your dosage on the medication could be revised accordingly. Hypertensive patients must observe compliance with dietary recommendations and intake of antihypertensive medications prescribed. Compliance with regular blood pressure reading and log maintenance can help easy follow-up of the numbers and necessary accommodations made.
