5 FDA’s Approved Drugs for Alzheimer’s

After know astonished figures about Alzheimer’s, here is another information about the number of drugs used to treat Alzheimer’s.  Unlike cancer or heart disease, there are currently only five FDA-approved drugs to care the symptoms of Alzheimer's.

These medications cannot cure Alzheimer's, but for some people, it may slow down the development of the disease for a period of time. Till now, no scientists can tell what medicine can improve the disease symptoms permanently.

After medical history check and lots of test about your memory, thinking, behavior and even brain scan, doctor will prescribe drugs according to the conditions and the stage of disease.

People with Alzheimer's disease don’t have enough of a chemical called acetylcholine -a chemical believed to be important for memory and thinking. As the disease progresses, the brain produces less and less acetylcholine.

Acetylcholine helps nerve signals to travel across the gaps (synapses) between nerve cells (neurones). All of the prescription medications currently approved to treat Alzheimer’s symptoms in mild-moderate stages are from a class of drugs called cholinesterase inhibitors. It can help to stop the level of acetylcholine in the brain from falling any further. Three common cholinesterase inhibitors are prescribed to treat symptoms related to memory, thinking, language, judgment and other thought processes, Donepezil (Aricept), Rivastigmine (Exelon), Galantamine (Razadyne).

If you have late-stage Alzheimer's disease, you may have been given a medicine called memantine. (Namenda®, Namenda XR®)This works in a different way to acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Hence, the two Namenda is believed to work by regulating the activities of glutamate, another messenger chemical involved in learning and memory that, when produced in excessive amounts, may lead to brain cell death of drugs can be prescribed in combination. It may help to improve your thinking and memory and allow you to do more basic everyday activities such as eating and going to the bathroom without help for several more months.

Note :

A) Donepezil (Aricept) is the only cholinesterase inhibitor approved to treat all stages of Alzheimer’s disease, including moderate to severe.  At present, Tacrine (Cognex) is rarely to be prescribed because it's associated with serious side effects like liver damage.

B) Common side effects of all prescriptions are included nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and increased frequency of bowel movements

A doctor may also prescribe medicines to help treat some of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, such as anxiety, sleep disturbance or irritability and depression.

As seen, there is no final solution for Alzheimer’s. Many studies are under streamed line in order to get FDA approval.  On the other hand, herbal remedies, dietary supplements and "medical foods" are alternative treatments that are claimed to delay or prevent Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.  This will be a false hope or promising hope, you will know only when you keep searching information.