Question 1

does the dementia drug donepezil really work?  if so how well?  i started giving it to my 85 year old mother with mild dementia.

Accepted Answer

Yes/no: First thing is first, it's not going to "fix" her memory.  BUT without it, she will decline much faster.  All other aspects of dementia need to be treated and considered as well.  Donepezil has been around for some time and is helpful.

Question 2

how minimize effect of dementia. is any new drug is benificial.

Accepted Answer

Yes, there are: Medical foods, which are prescription can help, such as phosphatidyl serine, Cerefolin-NAC, Axona, but a new combination product Namzaric, seems also to work well.

Question 3

what type of drugs cause dementia or alzheimers?

Accepted Answer

Pseudo dementia : Drugs do not cause alzheimer's, but numerous medicines can make it far worse due to anti-cholinergic side effects, and many elderly pts can seem to be demented due to drug effects, which reverse when med is modified.

Question 4

is risperdal .5 mg dose safe for an elder patient with alzheimer's and vascular dementia? i read this drug can cause sudden death in elder patients.

Accepted Answer

No: According to all studies so far, any antipsychotic used for the purpose of treating behavioral problems or psychosis related to dementia is associated with earlier stroke-related death. This occurs regardless of the antipsychotic and the dose. There are some studies that have shown some antipsychotics to be safer than others (like quetiapine) but those studies are small and inconclusive.

Question 5

what drugs can help people with controlling their dementia?

Accepted Answer

Ask your Dr too: Here's a link to one of the leading groups:  http://www.Alz.Org/alzheimers_disease_standard_prescriptions.Asp

different types of dementia require different treatments, so talk with your dr, but this may explain some things. Best!

Question 6

what drugs are used to treat cadasil dementia?

Accepted Answer

None really: Presently, there is no specific drug treatment available. However, physicians do use anti-platelet agents such as aspirin, dipyridamole, or clopidogrel in efforts to retard the disease process by helping to prevent some strokes. 
Research is trying to find ways to assist this very troubling condition.

Question 7

are there any drugs specifically for vascular dementia patients?

Accepted Answer

Not specifically.: The best medicine would be to treat the vascular problem as aggressively as possible.  So high blood pressure should be well controlled, etc.

Question 8

are there any existing drugs that increase cognitive function if family history of dementia?

Accepted Answer

Not yet: But there is one drug that may be neuroprotective, namenda (memantine).

Question 9

can nuvigil mitigate symptoms of early onset dementia?  is there a more effective drug to help combat the cognitive symptoms?

Accepted Answer

Ask your neurologist: It is my understanding that Nuvigil is a drug promoting wakefulness and is used for such conditions as sleep disorders or fatigue disorders.  There are other drugs, such as aricept, Exelon (rivastigmine) , razadyne or Namenda which are used for early stages of dementia.  This drugs help to slow down the trajectory of cognitive decline.  Your neurologist will be the one to tell you which drug is best for you.

Question 10

hello, ive taken ambien irregularly over the past 10 years and am worried about its long term affects on my brain (dementia, etc) would taking a gaba supplement help in any way? or is there any drug/supplement that would help protect my brain from

Accepted Answer

Other options: Not enough evidence on this. If you take it very rarely, i wouldn’t be greatly concerned. If it is often do consider working more on the many non-drug techniques. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Sleep Deprivation, progressive relaxation, listening to Yoga Nidra, all are effective and have the additional benefit of improving brain function

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Doctor answers about:

Dementia drugs

A member asked:

Does the dementia drug donepezil really work? if so how well? i started giving it to my 85 year old mother with mild dementia.

A member asked:

How minimize effect of dementia. is any new drug is benificial.

A member asked:

What type of drugs cause dementia or alzheimers?

A member asked:

Is risperdal .5 mg dose safe for an elder patient with alzheimer's and vascular dementia? i read this drug can cause sudden death in elder patients.

A member asked:

What drugs can help people with controlling their dementia?

A member asked:

What drugs are used to treat cadasil dementia?

A member asked:

Are there any drugs specifically for vascular dementia patients?

A member asked:

Are there any existing drugs that increase cognitive function if family history of dementia?

A member asked:

Can nuvigil mitigate symptoms of early onset dementia? is there a more effective drug to help combat the cognitive symptoms?

A member asked:

Hello, ive taken ambien irregularly over the past 10 years and am worried about its long term affects on my brain (dementia, etc) would taking a gaba supplement help in any way? or is there any drug/supplement that would help protect my brain from

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