Study: Alzheimer's drug popular ineffective for the easy cases

"We think this know simple doctors, patients and caregivers should,", said the researcher conducting the study. Story HIGHLIGHTSDrug common to the treatment of mild Alzheimer's disease seems no benefit of memantine, provide or Namenda, officially approved for only moderate to severe DiseaseNearly, one-fifth of all people with mild Alzheimer's received the drug in 2006 (health.com) - a widely drug for the treatment of mild Alzheimer's disease seems no benefit to this group to provide early stage patients, according to a new analysis of prior research. Memantine, also known under the brand name, Namenda, is approved by the food and drug administration only for moderate to severe cases of Alzheimer's disease, although doctors often prescribe it for mild cases of the disease "off label". "We find that there a lack of efficacy in mild Alzheimer's disease,", says the lead researcher, Lon Schneider, m.d., Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology and Gerontology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. "We think doctors, patients, and caregivers should simply white." Pairing memantine with a cholinesterase inhibitor, a type of drug involved in preventing the breakdown of neurotransmitters in the store, become a standard treatment for mild Alzheimer's disease, but this study "clear slap in the face" of this approach, says William ThiesPh.d., medical and scientific head of Office of the Alzheimer's Association, a research and advocacy organization based in Chicago. Health.com: 25 signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease people with mild Alzheimer's have short- and long-term memory and generally experience difficulty with tasks such as paying bills, according to the Alzheimer's Association.