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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffThere is no cure for vascular dementia and no drugs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat it. However, medications designed to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease also appear to help people with vascular dementia.
Doctors may prescribe one or both types of the following drugs:
- Cholinesterase inhibitors — such as donepezil (Aricept), galantamine (Razadyne) and rivastigmine (Exelon) — are Alzheimer's drugs that work by boosting levels of a chemical messenger involved in memory and judgment. Side effects can include nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps and diarrhea.
- Memantine (Namenda) also has been shown to provide a modest benefit in people who have vascular dementia. Memantine works by regulating a chemical messenger involved in information processing, storage and retrieval. Side effects can include headache, constipation, confusion and dizziness.
Additionally, if you treat the risk factors that may have contributed to vascular dementia, you may be able to slow the progression of your dementia. That means controlling your blood pressure, cholesterol levels and diabetes, as well as quitting smoking. Doctors may also prescribe medications to help you control these conditions, along with aspirin or an anti-platelet aggregator medication, such as ticlopidine (Ticlid) and clopidogrel (Plavix), to help keep your arteries clear. None of these measures, however, can restore lost cognitive function.
- Dementia: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/dementias/detail_dementia.htm. Accessed March 14, 2009.
- Vascular dementia. Alzheimer's Association. http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_vascular_dementia.asp. Accessed March 14, 2009.
- Bird TD, et al. Dementia. In: Fauci AS, et al.: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2904052. Accessed March 11, 2009.
- Wright CB. Etiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of vascular dementia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 12, 2009.
- Dementia. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec16/ch213/ch213c.html. Accessed March 14, 2009.
- Aricept (prescribing information). Woodcliff Lake, N.J.: Eisai Inc.; 2006. http://www.aricept.com/images/AriceptComboFullPINovember02006.pdf. Accessed March 12, 2009.
- Namenda (prescribing information). St. Louis, Mo.: Forrest Pharmaceuticals; 2007. http://www.frx.com/pi/namenda_pi.pdf. Accessed March 12, 2009.
- Aminoff MJ, et al. Disorders of cognitive function. In: Aminoff MJ, et al. Clinical Neurology. 6th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2005. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2079000. Accessed March 11, 2009.
- Wright CB. Treatment and prevention of vascular dementia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 12, 2009.
