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My mother is 69 years old. She has been a heavy drinker ...
Sent to Health Experts March 10 10:28 PM

My mother is 69 years old. She has been a heavy drinker most of her adult life. Now she is forgetful and loses things often. My dad is worried that she may have alzheimers. There is alcoholism in her family. My question is how can we differentiate whether the problems she has are caused by alcohol or if she might have alzheimers.

 

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Female, Age: 45, Mississippi

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My mom is 69. We have not told her that we are concerned because she gets defensive.

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
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March 10 10:34 PM (6 minutes and 3 seconds later)
         
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The problem you face is a difficult one, and I wish I could give you a simple answer. When patients start to develop memory problems, it is very common for families to notice, and for the patient to become defensive and somewhat paranoid.

I would suggest starting by asking her primary care physician to evaluate her from a general medical perspective. Assuming that there are no serious medical problems, the next step would be an evaluation by a neurologist or geriatric psychiatrist.

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PictureFamily Physician -- Doctor (MD) -- 99% Positive Feedback on 3912 Health Accepts
Physician with 22 years experience in Emergency Medicine / Family Medicine
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March 10 10:37 PM (2 minutes and 54 seconds later)
         
Reply to Family Physician's Post: is there a difference in the symptoms of alcoholic forgetfulness and alzheimers symptoms?
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March 10 10:51 PM (13 minutes and 43 seconds later)
         
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PictureFamily Physician -- Doctor (MD) -- 99% Positive Feedback on 3912 Health Accepts
Physician with 22 years experience in Emergency Medicine / Family Medicine
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