Combining Alzheimer's drugs helps slow rate of decline in Alzheimer's Patients

My mother is currently moving into the medium stage of Alzheimer's so for us this is exciting news. I intend to send this information to our personal care physician and discuss it with him immediately.

I just finished reading a study published in the journal Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders that indicates combining two different kinds of Alzheimer's drugs works better one. This unique research took place over a long time frame, 1990-2005. Typical clinical trials last about 6-9 months.

Those in earlier stages of Alzheimer's disease are typically treated with cholinesterase inhibitors like Aricept, Razadyne, or Exelon. Those suffering from later stage Alzheimer's disease are usually treated with Namenda (Memantine). The study found that people who took the combination of a cholinesterase inhibitor and Memantine showed a significantly slower rate of cognitve decline than those who took only a cholinesterase inhibitor or no drug.

While still in an early stage and needing follow-up this study indicates that the combination of drugs significantly slows the deterioration of cognitive function in Alzheimer's patients.

"Finding something that could actually modify the course of the disease is the Holy Grail of Alzheimer's treatment, but we really don't know if that is happening or what the mechanism behind these effects might be," Alireza Atri explains. "What we can say now is that providers should help patients understand that the benefits of these drugs are long term and may not be apparent in the first months of treatment. Even if a patient's symptoms get worse, that doesn't mean the drug isn't working, since the decline probably would have been much greater without therapy."

John Growdon, MD, a senior author of the paper said, "The results of this study should change the way we treat patients with Alzheimer's disease. Cholinesterase inhibitors are approved for use in mild to moderate dementia, while memantine has been approved for advanced dementia. But it looks like there is an advantage in prescribing both drugs as initial treatment."

Read more about this exciting development and get additional links to the information at the Alzheimer's Reading Room.