A 39-year-old member asked:
what alzheimer's drugs are prescribed for non-alzheimer's conditions?
2 doctor answers • 4 doctors weighed in

Dr. Bennett Machanic answered
Neurology 52 years experience
Off label: Situations which are non-fda approved. Virtually any cognitive loss or condition which affects intellect. For stroke-caused dementia, perhaps donepezil or galantamine (galantamine hydrobromide). For ms cognitive changes, both donepezil and rivastigmine fail, but maybe galantamine (galantamine hydrobromide) helps here. Parkinson's dementia very different from alz, and Exelon patch likely best. Head trauma hard to decide.
5380 viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. William Gaya answered
Neurology 29 years experience
Alzheimer's : Aricept (donepezil) and Exelon (rivastigmine) are the most commonly prescribed alzheimer's drugs used for conditions other than alzheimer's . This is outside the fda approved use and indications. Namenda (memantine) has been shown to be detrimental in patients with multiple sclerosis and its use outside its approved indications in alzheimer's is not recommended.
5200 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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Similar questions
CA
A 21-year-old member asked:
We just received ourdiagnosisthat my husban has alzheimer's. What do we do now?
2 doctor answers • 3 doctors weighed in

Dr. Benjamin Lessig answered
Geriatrics 25 years experience
Just ask the doctor: To answer this question, it depends on the level of progression such as early, mild, moderate or severe. These level of progressions present various functional, behavioral and cognitive status. Therefore, there are many ways that you help him. One great book for all caregivers is called 36 hours by dr. Peter rabins from john hopkins university.
6126 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:
Why don't all the symptoms of alzheimer's get better at once?
2 doctor answers • 10 doctors weighed in

Dr. Maureen Nash answered
Geriatric Psychiatry 24 years experience
No one knows: Some symptoms can improve with treatment while many symptoms do not. Often the best treatment is offering support to the person and their caregivers. Since we still are not exactly sure what causes the illness it is difficult to identify treatments.
6130 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
CA
A 23-year-old member asked:
How do you tell if someone has alzheimer's?
5 doctor answers • 11 doctors weighed in

Dr. Felix Brizuela answered
Neurology 32 years experience
Memory: The earliest symptom is short term memory dysfunction. Later poor attention, difficulty with speech, writing, and doing tasks you were previously very proficient in become affected. If caught early, in my experience can be significantly slowed in my experience. Any time an individual 50 or above complaints in change in memory, i take it serious.
6302 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 29-year-old member asked:
Are researchers close to finding a cure for alzheimer's?
2 doctor answers • 3 doctors weighed in

Dr. Meenakshi Patel answered
Geriatrics 39 years experience
Looking: There are sesveral medcines and perhaps vaccines stiil under development. So far there has been nothing successful but reserach is ongoing.
6058 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
How is alzheimer's inherited?
6 doctor answers • 11 doctors weighed in

Dr. Maureen Nash answered
Geriatric Psychiatry 24 years experience
Depends: Early onset illness is inherited at a high rate but the more common late onset alzheimers has a number of genes taht increase risk a small amount each.
6130 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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Last updated Jun 30, 2014
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