A List of Common Dementia Medications
Dementia is a term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other cognitive skills. This decline is severe enough to make you less able to perform everyday activities.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. Other common types include:
Lewy body dementia (LBD)
Parkinson’s disease dementia
vascular dementia
There’s no known cure for any type of dementia, and medications can’t prevent the condition or reverse the brain damage it causes. However, various drugs can provide some symptom relief.
Some of the most commonly prescribed medications used to treat symptoms of AD are cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine.
Cholinesterase inhibitors work by increasing acetylcholine, a chemical in your brain that aids in memory and judgment. Increasing the amount of acetylcholine in your brain may delay dementia-related symptoms. It may also prevent them from worsening.
Donepezil (Aricept)
Galantamine (Razadyne)
Rivastigmine (Exelon)
Memantine (Namenda) is mainly used to delay increasing cognitive and behavioral symptoms caused by moderate to severe AD. This effect may allow people with AD to function more normally for a longer time.
memantine is often prescribed in combination with a cholinesterase inhibitor. An example of this combination is Namzaric. The medication combines extended-release memantine with donepezil.
Both protocols side effects include:
headache
high blood pressure
diarrhea
constipation
dizziness
confusion
cough
increased sensitivity to contract the flu
https://www.healthline.com/health/dementia-drugs-and-medication#cholinesterase-inhibitors