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If There is No Cure, How is Alzheimer's Disease Treated?

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No treatment has been proven to stop Alzheimer's Disease (AD). However, for some people in the early and middle stages of the disease, the drugs tacrine (Cognex®), donepezil (Aricept®), rivastigmine (Exelon®), or galantamine (Razadyne®, formerly known as Reminyl®) may help prevent some symptoms from becoming worse for a limited time in some patients. (Tacrine is no longer actively marketed by the manufacturer.) Another drug, memantine (Namenda®), has been approved to treat moderate to severe AD, although it also is limited in its effects. And the FDA recently approved the use of donepezil to treat moderate to severe AD.

Also, some medicines may help control behavioral symptoms of AD such as sleeplessness, agitation, wandering, anxiety, and depression. Treating these symptoms often makes patients more comfortable and makes their care easier for caregivers.

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K. Gabriel Heiser

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K. Gabriel Heiser is an attorney with over 25 years experience in elder law and estate planning. Heiser is the author of "How to Protect Your Family's Assets from Devastating Nursing Home Costs: Medicaid Secrets," an annually updated practical guide for the layperson.

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