Alzheimer's Disease Medication

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved five brands of Alzheimer's disease medication to help control the symptoms of this condition. These medications include: Razadyne, Exelon, Aricept, Cognex, and Namenda. Four of these drugs are thought to prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine -- a brain chemical believed to be important for memory and thinking. The fifth type of Alzheimer's disease medication, Namenda, works a little differently. Researchers believe that Namenda regulates glutamate, a brain chemical that may lead to brain cell death when produced in excessive amounts. Doctors usually start patients on a low dose of Alzheimer's disease medication and gradually increase the dosage if the drug is well tolerated.

 

Alzheimer's Disease Medications: An Overview

There are currently five prescription Alzheimer's disease medications that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat people who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. While these medications cannot cure Alzheimer's or slow the progression of the disease, they can help control a person's symptoms.
 
Treating the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can provide patients with comfort, dignity, and independence for a longer period of time and can encourage and assist their caregivers as well. It is important to understand that none of these medications will stop the disease.
 

Alzheimer's Disease Medication for Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's

Of the five Alzheimer's disease medications, four are called cholinesterase inhibitors. These drugs are prescribed for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. They may help delay or prevent symptoms from becoming worse for a limited time and may help control some behavioral symptoms.
 
These four medications are:
 
 
Aricept is also approved to treat severe Alzheimer's disease symptoms.
 
Scientists do not yet fully understand how cholinesterase inhibitors work to treat Alzheimer's disease, but current research indicates that they prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine -- a brain chemical believed to be important for memory and thinking. As Alzheimer's disease progresses, the brain produces less and less acetylcholine. Therefore, cholinesterase inhibitors may eventually lose their effect.
 
Currently, there are no published studies that directly compare these drugs. Therefore, because all four medications work in a similar way, it is not expected that switching from one of these drugs to another will produce significantly different results. However, a person with Alzheimer's disease may respond better to one drug than another. It is important to note that Cognex® (tacrine) is no longer actively marketed by the manufacturer.
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD