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Medications for Alzheimers Disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved five medications for treating Alzheimers disease. Several other medications can relieve Alzheimers symptoms, but patients should avoid long-term use of antipsychotics to control dementia.

  1. Namenda

    • A brand-name version of the drug memantine, Namenda slows the mental decline that comes with Alzheimers disease. It works by blocking the effect of the amino acid that overstimulates the brain and causes confusion.

    Cholinesterase Inhibitors

    • Cholinesterase inhibitors, including donepezil (Aricept from Esai and Pfizer), galantamine (Razadyne from Ortho-McNeil-Janssen), rivastigmine (Exelon from Novartis) and tacrine (Cognex from Sciele), work by increasing the activity of chemicals that help maintain mental focus.

    Antidepressants

    • Depression often accompanies mental decline. Commonly used antidepressants during Alzheimers therapy include citalopram (Celexa from Forest), fluoxetine (Prozac from Lilly) and sertraline (Paxil from Pfizer).

    Anxiolytics

    • Alzheimers patients who become anxious, restless, or verbally or physically abusive may benefit from taking lorazepam (Ativan from Biovail) or oxazepam.

    Antipsychotics

    • Drugs classified as atypical antipsychotics, such as risperidone (Risperdal from Ortho-McNeil-Janssen), can reduce manifestation of dementia in Alzheimers patients, but long-term use may come at a high price. The journal "Lancet Neurology" reported that ongoing antipsychotic administration was associated with a significantly higher mortality rate at 12, 24 and 36 months.

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