The Associated Press reports that testing has begun on a patch to treat Alzheimer's Disease symptoms. (Ok, the picture is a birth control patch, but I needed a pic.)The article explains that Alzheimer's disease is essentially like plaque build-up in your brain. (Well, it's actually a protein.) Ewww....well, they have found that the patch, which disperses the drug Exelon straight into the bloodstream, causes fewer side effects (nausea and vomiting) than the pill form of the drug, which naturally has to go through the gastrointestinal tract first. Many Alzheimer's patients may have difficulty swallowing pills, so this is also a benefit.
So, umm...anybody see any down sides to this? I do. Even though the article didn't report this, I bet it's like every other patch out there, and carries a risk of blood clots or stroke. Maybe it causes less nausea, but let's remember that we're delivering a massive dose of medication through the skin. We're not toads...we don't really work that way. There are class action suits going on now for some of those birth control patches and nicotine patches, because they've caused some serious problems. I think there needs to be a little more done on the whole delivery system in general before we start marketing these things to everyone. Besides, if Alzheimer's causes forgetfulness, what if you put one on, forget you did it, and add another?
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