Medications

Doctors use medicines to treat dementia in the following ways:

• To correct a condition that's causing dementia, such as thyroid replacement for hypothyroidism, vitamins for lack of vitamin B12, or antibiotics for infections
• To maintain mental functioning for as long as possible when dementia cannot be reversed
• To prevent further strokes in people who have dementia caused by stroke (vascular dementia)
• To manage mood or behavior problems, such as depression, insomnia, hallucinations, and agitation

Medication Choices

Medicines to help maintain mental function:

• Cholinesterase inhibitors such as donepezil (Aricept), galantamine (Reminyl), and rivastigmine (Exelon).  
  • These drugs were developed to treat Alzheimer's disease, but they may be tried in other dementias, especially vascular dementia.²
  • It is not clear how long these medicines will work.
  • Side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and weight loss.³
• Memantine (Namenda). This medicine is used to treat symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, but may also help with mild to moderate vascular dementia.³

Medicines to help control mood or behavior problems:

• Antipsychotic drugs, such as risperidone (Risperdal) or olanzapine (Zyprexa).
• Antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

Medicines to prevent future strokes:

• The doctor may prescribe medicines for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, since these conditions are risk factors for vascular dementia.⁴ These drugs can't reverse existing dementia, but they may prevent future strokes and heart disease that can lead to further brain damage.

For more information, see the topics:

• High Blood Pressure.
• High Cholesterol.
• Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA).