Is There Medicine That Can Prevent Dementia?

There is no medication that prevent or cure Dementia or Alzheimer's Disease, but doctors rely on several drugs to manage different symptoms of dementia, such as delusion,depression,sleeplessness,and agitation. As a caregiver it is crucial to understand the use of medications and be alert to possible over medication and reactions to drug combinations.

Aricept(approved in 1996), Exelon(approved in 2000), and Razadyne(approved in 2001 under the name Reminyl), are three cholinesterase inhibitors that are commonly prescibed by doctors to treat Alzheimer's symptoms in early to moderate stages. During my research all of these drugs were designed to prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine, which is a chemical messenger in our brain that is important for memory and other thinking skills.Now these drugs are suppose to work to keep levels of the chemical messenger high, even while Alzheimer's is damaging or killing cells that produce the messenger.

Even though doctors might prescribe a drug for a limited period of time, the problem is that it may take up to four weeks for a drug to leave the system after they have finished using it, so it could alter a person memory if not careful.This is the reason why we as caregiver must keep a running tab of which medicine was given and what time the medicine was given, so we can give accurate information to pharmacists and doctors when visiting.

Getting medical advice before starting any medication, whether it's over the counter or prescribed is an easy and safe way to cut down on possible side effects, because some medications can contribute to the problem and make some symptoms worse

I was a caregiver twice for family members with Alzheimer's Disease and have seen first hand what these drugs can do if they are taking with other drugs such as high blood pressure pills.Establish a relationship with your pharmacist, so they better understand the conditions to maybe catch a mistake a doctor has made