Dementia Treatments
Brain cell death cannot be reversed, so there is no known
cure for degenerative dementia.
Management of disorders such as Alzheimer's disease is
instead focused on providing care and treating symptoms rather than their
underlying cause.
If dementia symptoms are due to a reversible,
non-degenerative cause, however, treatment may be possible to prevent or halt
further brain tissue damage.
Examples include injury, medication effects, and vitamin
deficiency.
Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can be reduced by some
medications. There are four drugs, called cholinesterase inhibitors, approved
for use in the U.S.:
- donepezil (brand name Aricept)
- galantamine (Reminyl)
- rivastigmine (Exelon)
- tacrine (Cognex)
A different kind of drug, memantine (Namenda), an NMDA
receptor antagonist, may also be used, alone or in combination with a
cholinesterase inhibitor.
Cholinesterase inhibitors can also help with the behavioral
elements of Parkinson's disease. To know more join us at Alzheimers2018
Comments
Post a Comment