Alzheimer's medications include drugs in several categories that may help some of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and some other forms of dementia. At this time, there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, nor is there any method to slow the progression of the disease. However, there are treatment options available that can minimize or stabilize patients’ symptoms and in some cases delay the necessity of nursing home care.

Alzheimer's disease is a disease of the brain that gets worse over time. It is the most common cause of dementia among people over the age of 65, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Alzheimer's disease is not a normal sign of aging. Little is understood about what causes Alzheimer's disease and what can be done to prevent or cure it. The symptoms of Alzheimer's disease occur when neurons (nerve cells) in the brain die or break their connections with other neurons.

The symptoms of Alzheimer's disease generally fall into two categories: cognitive (e.g., dementia, memory loss, language loss) and psychiatric (e.g., behavioral problems, hallucinations). Physicians may prescribe medication to treat each of these symptoms separately.

There are two main types of medications that are used to treat the cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease: cholinesterase inhibitors and N-methyl D-aspartate receptor antagonists (NMDAs).

Cholinesterase inhibitors work by maintaining the levels of a chemical called acetylcholine in the brain. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter, which means that it carries electrical signals from one neuron to another. This chemical is essential for memory, judgment and learning. In people with Alzheimer's disease, the cells that produce acetylcholine are damaged or killed and levels of the chemical gradually decline in the brain. This leads to a loss in cognitive function.

Cholinesterase inhibitors work to delay the breakdown of acetylcholine and keep the levels high enough for the brain to function normally. However, cholinesterase inhibitors cannot stop the progressive nature of cell damage and, eventually, the damage from the disease will develop to the extent that it is too severe for cholinesterase inhibitors to be effective.

The other type of medication used to treat the cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease is NMDA receptor antagonists. These drugs work by regulating the amount of another neurotransmitter called glutamate. Glutamate is also important for memory and learning. However, if there is too much glutamate in the brain, it can overstimulate parts of the brain and cause the disruption and death of neurons. Currently, the only NMDA receptor antagonist approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is memantine (Namenda).

Medications are also used to treat the psychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. These medications include antidepressant medications to treat depression and low moods, anti-anxiety medications to treat anxiety or verbally disruptive behavior and antipsychotic medication to treat hallucinations, delusions or aggression.

Additionally, trials are taking place to test the effectiveness of anticonvulsants and statin therapy to treat Alzheimer's disease. Statins are commonly used to treat high cholesterol levels but are also believed to have a positive effect against mild to moderate forms of dementia.