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New Alzheimer Treatments

According to the Alzheimer's Disease Education & Referral Center (ADEAR), treatments focus on helping people maintain brain function, manage their behavior and inhibit, postpone or prevent the disease.

  1. Brain Function

    • As of 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved five drugs to help Alzheimer's patients think, remember and speak: donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine and tacrine for mild to moderate Alzheimer's and memantine for moderate to severe Alzheimer's.

    Drug Side Effects

    • Common side effects of Alzheimer's medications include nausea, vomiting, appetite loss and increased frequency of bowel movements, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Tacrine can cause liver damage.

    Behavior

    • Alzheimer's sufferers often have trouble sleeping, are agitated, anxious, angry or depressed, and tend to wander. Researchers are studying ways to treat these behavioral symptoms, according to ADEAR.

    Prevention

    • ADEAR reports that, as of 2009, researchers are investigating several possible methods of preventing or slowing Alzheimer's, including cardiovascular treatments, antioxidants, immunization therapy, cognitive training and physical activity.

    Ongoing Research

    • ADEAR reports that researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College and the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study began a study in 2008 to investigate the effect of intravenous immune globulin treatment on preventing or reversing dementia symptoms in Alzheimer's patients.

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