Everything You Need to Know About Leqembi Maintenance and Medicare
Treatments, Leqembi Andrea Van Wickle Treatments, Leqembi Andrea Van Wickle

Everything You Need to Know About Leqembi Maintenance and Medicare

After Leqembi removes amyloid plaques from the brain, treatment isn't over. The brain continues to produce beta-amyloid every day, and in Alzheimer's disease a small amount escapes the brain's natural clearance systems. Without continued treatment, these molecules can gradually accumulate again, forming toxic oligomers, protofibrils, and eventually new plaques. This article explains why maintenance therapy is essential after the initial 18 months of Leqembi, compares monthly IV infusions with the FDA-approved IQLIK® self-injection, and provides a practical guide to Medicare Part B and Part D coverage, specialty pharmacies, formularies, prior authorization, and out-of-pocket costs so you can make informed decisions about your long-term treatment options.

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How Leqembi and Kisunla Fight Alzheimer's in Different Ways‍ ‍
Treatments, Leqembi, Kisunla Andrea Van Wickle Treatments, Leqembi, Kisunla Andrea Van Wickle

How Leqembi and Kisunla Fight Alzheimer's in Different Ways‍ ‍

A diagnosis of Alzheimer's no longer means there are no treatment options. Two FDA-approved drugs, Leqembi and Kisunla, can slow the disease for people diagnosed early, but they work differently. Understanding how beta-amyloid changes from harmless protein fragments into toxic oligomers, protofibrils, plaques, and eventually tau tangles can help patients and families make more informed treatment decisions.

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Learn How Alzheimer’s Creeped Into My Brain
Alzheimer's Biology, Alzheimer's Research, Research Andrea Van Wickle Alzheimer's Biology, Alzheimer's Research, Research Andrea Van Wickle

Learn How Alzheimer’s Creeped Into My Brain

Alzheimer's doesn't begin with memory loss. It begins silently 20 to 30 years earlier as changes in beta-amyloid, toxic oligomers, inflammation, and tau gradually damage the brain. This article explains the modern science behind Alzheimer's in clear, understandable language and shows how new blood tests, biomarkers, and treatments like Leqembi are transforming diagnosis, and offering hope for the future.

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Why Your Mind Goes to the Worst Case After an Alzheimer's Diagnosis

Why Your Mind Goes to the Worst Case After an Alzheimer's Diagnosis

An Alzheimer's diagnosis can trigger overwhelming fear and endless worst-case scenarios. I know because I lived through it. Looking back, I wish I had spent less time worrying and more time planning for the future. In this article, I share how my perspective changed, why catastrophic thinking is so common, and a helpful video by psychiatrist Dr. Tracey Marks that explains how to interrupt negative thought patterns. If you're newly diagnosed, this message offers hope and practical encouragement.

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Medicare Advantage Isn't Always an Advantage for Alzheimer's
Insurance Andrea Van Wickle Insurance Andrea Van Wickle

Medicare Advantage Isn't Always an Advantage for Alzheimer's

Choosing the right Medicare coverage can have a major impact on Alzheimer's treatment. While Medicare Advantage plans often offer lower premiums and extra benefits, they may also require prior authorizations, network restrictions, and additional approvals that can delay time-sensitive therapies such as Leqembi and Kisunla. Learn why many Alzheimer's specialists recommend Original Medicare with a Medigap supplement for patients who need access to advanced neurological care.

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Leqembi Does Much More Than Remove Plaque
Treatments Andrea Van Wickle Treatments Andrea Van Wickle

Leqembi Does Much More Than Remove Plaque

Most people think Leqembi simply removes amyloid plaque. The science tells a much bigger story. Researchers now believe tiny beta-amyloid oligomers begin damaging synapses and disrupting the brain's glutamate-GABA balance years before plaques appear. Understanding how Leqembi targets these toxic proteins changed the way I think about Alzheimer's disease, and why early treatment matters.

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Why People with Alzheimer's Forget the Right Word (and How to Find It Again)
Delaying Strategies Andrea Van Wickle Delaying Strategies Andrea Van Wickle

Why People with Alzheimer's Forget the Right Word (and How to Find It Again)

Do you have to pause or just describe a word you can't quickly recall?  For people living with Alzheimer's disease, word-finding problems are among the earliest and most frustrating symptoms. The encouraging news is that the word is often not gone. The brain may simply have difficulty finding the pathway to retrieve it. In this article, I explain the neuroscience behind word retrieval, why Alzheimer's disrupts these language networks, and how practical strategies based on neuroplasticity can help strengthen communication and restore confidence.

 

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How Ultra-Processed Foods Changed the Way Humans Eat and Think
Brain Health Andrea Van Wickle Brain Health Andrea Van Wickle

How Ultra-Processed Foods Changed the Way Humans Eat and Think

Why is it so difficult to give up the foods we know are unhealthy? The answer may have less to do with willpower than with the way our food supply has changed over the past century. In this article, discover how ultra-processed foods evolved from a convenience into products designed to appeal to our biology, why our brains crave them, and how understanding this hidden transformation can help us make healthier choices for both our bodies and our brains.

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Why Alzheimer's Affects Short-Term Memory: 7 Strategies That Really Help

Why Alzheimer's Affects Short-Term Memory: 7 Strategies That Really Help

Have you ever walked into a room and forgotten why you were there, or wondered if you already took your medication? For people living with Alzheimer's disease, these frustrating moments are caused by changes in short-term, working, and prospective memory. In this article, I explain why these memory failures occur, what is happening inside the brain, and the seven practical strategies I use every day to stay organized, more independent, and in control of my life.

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The Hidden Memory System That Can Help Fight Alzheimer's
Memory, Delaying Strategies Andrea Van Wickle Memory, Delaying Strategies Andrea Van Wickle

The Hidden Memory System That Can Help Fight Alzheimer's

Once we’ve started Leqembi or Kisunla we are anxious to see improvement in our AD symptoms and many of us do see improvement.  That improvement is not because memory has been restored, it is because with mild cognitive impairment our brains can still relearn and to some extent starts doing that when we shift our thoughts to fixing what we have lost.  We can and should begin and continue to repair ADs damage to prolong our independence as long as possible.  I’ve written an article that I think may help you understand the power than only you have to repair what has been lost.

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Alzheimer’s Tau Tangle Challenges
Treatments, Research Andrea Van Wickle Treatments, Research Andrea Van Wickle

Alzheimer’s Tau Tangle Challenges

For decades, beta-amyloid plaques have dominated Alzheimer's research, but scientists now believe tau tangles are the primary driver of neuron damage and memory loss. This article explains, in easy-to-understand language, how healthy tau proteins support brain cells, what causes them to become tangled, how they spread from neuron to neuron, and why they remain one of Alzheimer's greatest treatment challenges. Drawing from both the latest scientific discoveries and my personal experience after successfully clearing amyloid plaque with Leqembi, this article also explores the promising new therapies that may one day stop tau tangles and change the future of Alzheimer's disease.

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Leqembi IQLIK and Medicare: Everything You Need to Know Before You Switch
Treatments, Leqembi Andrea Van Wickle Treatments, Leqembi Andrea Van Wickle

Leqembi IQLIK and Medicare: Everything You Need to Know Before You Switch

Should you stay on Leqembi infusions or switch to the new at-home IQLIK injection? That decision involves much more than convenience. Medicare covers the two treatments differently, and understanding Part B, Part D, specialty pharmacies, formularies, prior authorization, and the new annual out-of-pocket cap can save you both time and money. This practical guide explains the process step by step so people living with early Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers can make informed decisions before their first IQLIK prescription.

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Leqembi = Plaque Free Brain and a Promising Future
Leqembi Andrea Van Wickle Leqembi Andrea Van Wickle

Leqembi = Plaque Free Brain and a Promising Future

Imagine being told you have Alzheimer's disease—and then, two years later, learning that the beta-amyloid plaques once filling your brain are no longer detectable on a PET scan. Until recently, that outcome would have seemed impossible. Thanks to early diagnosis and treatment with Leqembi, it became my reality. This is not a story about a cure. It is a story about what can happen when Alzheimer's is detected early enough for today's disease-modifying treatments to make a difference. It is also a story of gratitude—to the scientists who made this breakthrough possible—and a reminder that every adult over 60 should ask for a cognitive assessment before symptoms become impossible to ignore.

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How Leqembi’s Multi-Target Strategy Fights Alzheimer’s
Leqembi, Brain Processes, Alzheimer's Biology Andrea Van Wickle Leqembi, Brain Processes, Alzheimer's Biology Andrea Van Wickle

How Leqembi’s Multi-Target Strategy Fights Alzheimer’s

For decades, Alzheimer's treatments could do little more than ease symptoms while the disease continued its relentless attack on the brain. Leqembi represents a different approach. Rather than simply treating the consequences of Alzheimer's, it targets the disease itself by attaching to harmful beta-amyloid proteins at multiple stages of their development—from the smallest, most toxic clusters to fully formed plaques. By interrupting this destructive process early and continuing to remove existing amyloid, Leqembi gives the brain a better opportunity to protect neurons, preserve memory, and maintain the connections that define who we are. Understanding why this matters begins with understanding how Alzheimer's damages the brain.

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You Have to Ask for a MCI Test
Early Detection & Diagnosis Andrea Van Wickle Early Detection & Diagnosis Andrea Van Wickle

You Have to Ask for a MCI Test

Most doctors won't suggest that you have your memory tested during your annual physical. If you want to know whether your brain is as healthy as the rest of your body, YOU HAVE TO ASK.

We spend our lives scheduling physicals, blood tests, eye exams, and even dental cleanings, yet the most vital organ in our body, the brain, often goes unchecked. Imagine discovering years too late that something could have been done to delay Alzheimer’s, if only you had asked for a simple test.

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Ever Walk into a Room and Forget Why?
Andrea Van Wickle Andrea Van Wickle

Ever Walk into a Room and Forget Why?

Have you ever walked into a room and suddenly wondered why you went there; one of those moments when your feet know where to go, but your brain doesn’t? For many of us living with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s, these lapses can feel unsettling, even a little scary. Yet they’re also clues about how our brains are changing and how we can learn to support them. As I moved into the maintenance phase of my Leqembi treatment, I began to understand these moments in a new way, and what I discovered has reshaped how I navigate daily life.

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How to Understand Your Alzheimer's Blood Tests and PET Scan Results
Early Diagnosis Andrea Van Wickle Early Diagnosis Andrea Van Wickle

How to Understand Your Alzheimer's Blood Tests and PET Scan Results

Alzheimer's lab reports can be confusing, filled with unfamiliar numbers and medical terms that leave many patients wondering what they actually mean. I felt the same way after my diagnosis. Over the course of my treatment, I learned how to understand my blood tests and amyloid PET scans, and that knowledge helped me follow my progress and ask better questions. This guide explains the key biomarkers and imaging results in plain English so you can better understand your own Alzheimer's test reports.

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Where Did My Short-Term Memory Go?
Memory Andrea Van Wickle Memory Andrea Van Wickle

Where Did My Short-Term Memory Go?

Discover why short-term and working memory problems persist after Leqembi treatment and learn practical, science-based strategies to improve daily function and independence with Alzheimer's.

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Why People with Stronger Brains Are at RISK for Undiagnosed Alzheimer’s
Andrea Van Wickle Andrea Van Wickle

Why People with Stronger Brains Are at RISK for Undiagnosed Alzheimer’s

If you've always been the person who solved problems, learned new skills, remembered details, and adapted to life's challenges, you probably think your brain is one of your greatest strengths. And it is. But that very strength, high cognitive reserve, may also put you at greater risk of living with undiagnosed Alzheimer's disease.

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