Are there any treatments for Alzheimer’s disease?
Over the past 30-40 years, numerous drugs have been suggested for use in AD or other dementias. Until recently, most drugs had not been evaluated properly, there are now several drugs which are either at the clinical trial stage, or are available on prescription. All of these the drugs are designed to provide symptomatic relief – a temporary improvement in memory or thinking abilities – for people in the mild to moderate stage of the disease. The two drugs that are available on prescription are donepezil (called Aricept) and rivastigmine (called Exelon). Although they are relatively new, studies have shown that these drugs can give an overall improvement in the patient’s ability to function in everyday situations. There is also evidence that donepezil can reduce the apathy and agitation that are sometimes experienced by people with AD. There are several drugs that are currently at the clinical trial stages. The results of a trial of galantamine (called Reminyl), derived from a substanc
