Alzheimer's Disease Medication

Modern drugs can help sooth agitation, anxiety, depression, and sleeplessness, and may also help boost participation in daily activities. Newer Alzheimer's Disease medications are also becoming available that can improve or preserve thinking skills, at least temporarily.

Please note : Regular reassessment is required while you are on any of these medications. This helps doctors determine if the medicines are being tolerated without troublesome side effects. These regular visits are also to make sure the patient is responding to the medication appropriately.

It is important to note that consumption of some nutritional supplements or medications can have serious side effects or interfere with other prescribed medications. Please consult with your doctor before using any nutritional supplements or medications.

1. Vitamin B, E, Folic Acid, and Others

Several studies have investigated whether nutritional supplements and certain medications may reduce the risk of developing dementia. Some of the findings are summarized below:

2. Anti-Inflammatory Agents

As inflammation correlates with brain damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease it has been suggested that some anti-inflammatory agents may help delay dementia. The effectiveness of anti-inflammatory agents in prevention has not been proven, but researchers now know that they are not very effective in treating Alzheimer’s disease.

3. Alcohol

Some studies have found that moderate alcohol (1-3 drinks per day) and caffeine intake may have a protective influence. However, it is important to emphasize that alcohol and caffeine also have other negative effects that may outweigh their potential benefit in delaying dementia.

4. Diabetes Medications

Careful management of diabetes with medications that maintain blood glucose levels within a healthy range may also reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

5. Cholesterol Lowering Medicines

Cholesterol lowering drugs may lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Cholesterol lowering medicines known as statins, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or aspirin, ginkgo biloba, and Eldepryl - a monoamine oxidase inhibitor – can also help a great deal.

6. Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors

Alzheimer’s causes the destruction of neurons (brain cells). It also destroys the important chemical messenger acetylcholine, which is responsible for memory and other cognitive skills. While no drug has yet been shown to completely protect the brain against the effects of Alzheimer’s, drugs that protect acetylcholine from destruction appear to hold the symptoms at bay for a while longer.

These medications are known as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and include:

For the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor drugs, the dose of medication is started low and gradually increased to the recommended level. Tolerance (the drug no longer provides the same benefit) may occur. It is also important to know that these medications are expensive, averaging in the neighborhood of $130 per month. Your insurance or health cover may or may not cover the costs of this drug.

7. Side Effects

The acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are generally well tolerated by the human body, but some troublesome side effects may occur. These side effects include :

Often, changing to a lower dose or switching medications solves the problems.

8. Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIg)

In a trial involving eight people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's, researchers at Weill Medical College of Cornell University are trying to harness the body's immune system to fight Alzheimer's.

In this trial, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) seemed to increase the levels of anti-beta-amyloid antibodies in the blood to a greater degree than seen before resulting in an average 45 percent decrease of amyloid. Six of the eight patients experienced improvement in cognitive function and none of the patients had declining function.

Previous studies had noted that levels of these antibodies seemed to be lower in people with Alzheimer's. IVIg is derived from human blood and contains high concentrations of antibodies.

Researches are not yet sure how this occurs. For example, amyloid clearance might be due to a flushing effect (i.e., antibodies in the brain are working to flush out the protein) or a magnet-like effect (the antibodies are drawing or attracting the protein into the bloodstream).