Medications for Alzheimers Disease

The truth is that no one really knows what causes Alzheimers disease... it remains a medical mystery. However, enough is known about the mechanics of it that some medications have been developed to help combat symptoms of the disease and/or slow its progression. I won't delve too deeply into the details of Alzheimer's disease, but I will suggest some "non-medication" ways to help with the trademark symptoms of the disease before diving into a discussion of the side effects of the drugs used to treat it. Dementia is one of the hallmark symptoms of Alzheimers - diminishing memory, problems thinking of words and having difficulty with numbers and even personality changes. These symptoms alone should not be mistaken for a final diagnosis of the disease but they are associated with it.

Things one can do to help with memory include:

• Stay mentally active: Puzzles - sudoku, crosswords, Scrabble, etc. - are great for improving memory and staying intellectually sharp. Taking a class or even picking up a new hobby like a crafting hobby are also good ways to maintain both your memory and intellectual function. Also, brain training products - some of which have been clinically tested and proven to improve your memory by 10 years can also be very beneficial. Find out more about them here.
• Make notes: Yes, write things down. At the very least it will help you stay organized but more importantly it will serve as a sort of "peripheral brain"... storing the information you want to be sure you don't forget.
• Use mnemonic devices: Using visual images and making meaningful associations with them can help to improve short-term memory and recall. Lots of books are out there that discuss numerous mnemonic strategies.
• Maintain a well-structured and organized life and environment: This is simply a matter of keeping things in the same place so that it becomes routine to do the same thing over and over again. For example, always leave the phone in the cradle after a call and make sure the cradle is always in the same spot. That way, the next time the need arises to make a call, the routine is in place and it becomes rote.

Medications Used to Treat Alzheimer's Disease

• Aricept (Donepezil)
• Exelon (Rivastigmine)
• Razadyne formerly known as Reminyl (Galantamine)
• Namenda (Memantine)
• Cognex (Tacrine)

Time, which changes people, does not
alter the image we have retained of them.
- Marcel Proust, (Remembrance of Things Past: The Past Recaptured)

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April 30, 2009

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