Patient/caregiver was educated on precautions to be exercised while taking Namenda as follows:
- Namenda can take some time to fairly adjust to your body, before any improvement with memory loss, cognition, awareness, and behavior are noted. So, do not discontinue taking the medication without your physician’s consult, as you failed to see the desired result immediately after taking the medication.
- Notify your doctor of any episodes of seizures, enhanced dizziness and worsening drowsiness, deteriorating symptoms of mood disorders with exacerbation of anxiety, trouble sleeping, and agitation, deteriorating bladder control and incontinence, progressively diminishing cognitive skills and memory despite compliance with the medication intake, or any other continuing unpleasant side-effects, so that, your dosage on the medication could be revised or alternative plan of care considered.
- Your physician could change the dose of namenda, based on the response and side-effects developed. Maintain compliance with follow-up physician appointments, to update on the improvement with symptoms. Be accommodative to the plan of dose changes, until you show an optimum response.
- Namenda is partially metabolized in the liver, mostly to inactive metabolites. If liver function is deficient, the metabolism of namenda could be compromised. This can lead to increased blood levels of the medication for longer periods of time, resulting in increased risk for side-effects and consequent toxicity. So, in individuals with history of compromised liver function, namenda must be used with caution and possible dose adjustments, periodical monitoring for liver functions and development of any toxicity symptoms with the medication.
