Treatment For Alzheimer’s Disease
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease and no way to slow the progression of the disease. For some people in the early or middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease, medication such as tacrine (Cognex) may alleviate some cognitive symptoms. Donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), and galantamine (Reminyl) may keep some symptoms from becoming worse for a limited time. A fifth drug, memantine (Namenda), was recently approved for use in the United States. Combining memantine with other Alzheimer’s disease drugs may be more effective than any single therapy.Treatment programs are tailored to each individual patient and take into account the patient’s and family’s needs while providing state-of-the-art care and access to new developments and appropriate clinical trials.
Scientific research is also providing valuable information about how drug and non-drug approaches to treatment can improve day-to-day functioning and maximize quality of life. Drug (pharmacological) treatments currently available are used to manage the cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s, such as changes in thinking, memory and perception. They can’t stop the disease, but they can slow the progression of symptoms in some people, at least for a while.
Drug Treatment
This public information leaflet provides information about drugs used to treat Alzheimer’s disease. It discusses how the drugs work, why they are prescribed, their side effects and alternative treatments. Alzheimer’s disease is only one of many possible causes for memory problems in people. The other causes are described in detail in our Help is at Hand leaflet, ‘Memory and Dementia’.
hese are the main drugs used for Alzheimer’s disease in the United Kingdom. Three drugs are currently licensed:
Drug name Other name
Donepezil Aricept
Galantamine Reminyl
Rivastigmine Exelon
Medicines Used To Treat Alzheimer’s disease
Aricept: Aricept, a cholinesterase inhibitor, is the most widely used drug for Alzheimer’s disease. Cholinesterase inhibitors stop the breakdown of acetylcholine, a chemical in the brain used for memory and other mental functions.These types of medications help increase the levels of acetylcholine. In Alzheimer’s disease there is a deficiency in acetlycholine in some areas of the brain, which accounts for some of the symptoms of the disease.
Reminyl: Reminyl tablets, Reminyl oral solution and Reminyl XL capsules all contain the active ingredient galantamine hydrobromide, which is a type of medicine called an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. It works by slowing the breakdown of a compound in the body called acetylcholine.
Exelon: Exelon Corporation is an electricity generating and distributing company headquartered in Chicago. It was created in October, 2000 by the merger of PECO Energy Company and Unicom, of Philadelphia and Chicago respectively. Unicom owned Commonwealth Edison. Exelon has 5.2 million electricity customers and, in the Philadelphia suburbs, 460,000 natural gas customers.
Pharmacologic Therapy
While no drug has been shown to completely protect neurons, agents that inhibit the degradation of acetylcholine within the synapse are the mainstay of treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Cholinesterase/acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are the only agents approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Other drugs have been studied, but their use remains controversial.
