yesterday at the ucla infusion center i received my 17th infusion in the biogen aducanumab study of either a placebo or the drug aducanumab
aducanumab is an antibody against the bad beta amyloid that is thought to be the cause of alzheimers dieseae
the aducanumab is the most promising drug thats being investigated now to eventually make to the market if it shows promise in slowing down or stopping the disease
yesterday i had a bad headache when i got home which for me is a good sign since thats a major side effect of his drug
if my headache which is still present this morning despite acetaminophen is from my infusion then that would mean i am getting the real drug which is a real good thing
as i discussed with the research director and nurse yesterday if i have side effects thats a good thing
folks like me who have the apoe4 gene are much more likely to have this headache side effect
in fact if i am getting this real drug the dose will be a lower dose to prevent worsening headaches which is caused by microbleeds where the bad beta amyloid plaques are being removed by the drug
a little micobleed i can handle
like i told them
the option for me and others well there really isnt one right now
a little headache and microbleed we will accept
dont worry they do regular mris of the brain to make sure this hasnt happened
in fact i have one in 10 days back at ucla
the only problem is if i were to have a microbleed which means im getting the drug then im out of the study
a bad thing that would be
starting in october all of those 1200 plus folks in the study who want to can continue for another 2 years receiving all of us the real drug and not the placebo with the possibility of getting it even longer if its promising in its effect against this awful disease
so if its approved for use i and we may if we didnt get the placebo get 4+ years of this drug before it reaches the market
for me eg it would have slowed down the disease for me so i would have more cognitive presence here on this earth
thats why i and the others have gone on this journey in hopes of getting some treatment not available elsewhere
otherwise it just taking meds like aricept (donepezil) and its cousins and living a healthy life and taking some recommended supplements
those are your options
its well worth the effort being in this study if it works
if it doesnt work then we have solved whether this approach works or not and science can move in another direction
this week the nih thats the national institute of health published this youtube video on
HOW ALZHEIMERS CHANGES THE BRAIN
if you have it or if you have a loved one who has it or if you are worried you have it
then
watch this video below to see what happens inside the brain
the organicgreen doctor
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