Alzheimer's: Drugs help manage symptoms
Alzheimer's: Drugs help manage symptomsAlzheimer's disease is a daunting diagnosis. But working closely with your health care team to find the best strategies to manage your symptoms can help you cope and make life better. Alzheimer's drugs offer one strategy to help manage memory loss, thinking and reasoning problems, and day-to-day function. Unfortunately, Alzheimer's drugs don't work for everyone, and they can't cure the disease or stop its progression. Over time, their effects wear off. Research into more-effective Alzheimer's drugs is ongoing. But even if researchers discover better drugs, it will always be important to build a health care team that helps you explore all your treatment options. That may involve taking medication, tapping into your support network, and accessing community resources and services. Role of current Alzheimer's drugsThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two drugs specifically to treat symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
These drugs:
Cholinesterase inhibitorsOne way Alzheimer's harms the brain is by decreasing levels of acetylcholine, a chemical messenger that's important for alertness, memory, thought and judgment. Cholinesterase (ko-lin-ES-tur-ase) inhibitors are a type of drug that boosts the amount of acetylcholine available to nerve cells by preventing its breakdown in the brain. Cholinesterase inhibitors can't reverse Alzheimer's disease, and they don't stop the underlying destruction of nerve cells. Because dwindling brain cells produce less acetylcholine as the disease progresses, these medications eventually lose effectiveness. In clinical studies, all cholinesterase inhibitors, on average, work about equally well. But in individuals, one cholinesterase inhibitor may work better or produce fewer side effects than does another. Common side effects can include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Starting treatment at a low dose and working up to a higher dose can help reduce side effects. Taking these medications with food also may help minimize side effects. Three cholinesterase inhibitors are commonly prescribed:
Memantine for later stagesMemantine (Namenda) is approved by the FDA for treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease. It works by regulating the activity of glutamate, a messenger chemical widely involved in brain functions — including learning and memory. It's taken as a pill or syrup. Common side effects include dizziness, headache, confusion and agitation. Since memantine's original approval for moderate to severe Alzheimer's, researchers have conducted additional studies to determine whether memantine might also help in earlier stages. But none of this additional work shows that memantine has any benefit for mild Alzheimer's disease. Taking memantine also hasn't proven to help prevent progression of MCI to Alzheimer's disease. When to discontinue Alzheimer's drugsBecause Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, your symptoms and care plan will change over time. If you're taking an Alzheimer's drug, ongoing review of your care plan will include working with your doctor to decide how long you should continue your medication. It may be difficult to tell if Alzheimer's drugs are helping, because their effect is usually modest. On the other hand, it's hard to know how severe your symptoms might be without your medication. If you stop taking an Alzheimer's drug and experience a sharp decline in your condition, contact your doctor. He or she may advise restarting the medication. RelatedLast Updated: 2011-08-18 © 1998-2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "Mayo Clinic Health Information," "Reliable information for a healthier life" and the triple-shield Mayo logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
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