Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors (AChEIs)for the Treatment of Moderate and

Checklist of Treatments for Alzheimer's Disease

Part 1 of 8

For approximately ten years, I have cared for a parent with slowly advancing Alzheimer's disease. Contrary to all of the horror stories portrayed in the national media, I have found that the burden of caring for an Alzheimer's sufferer is less onerous than I originally expected. The primary reason that my burden has been lightened is that I give my mother a potent cocktail mix of drugs and vitamins to combat the disease. Her comparatively slow decline can be attributed to the efficacy of taking a multi-faceted approach to treating this incurable disease.

I subscribe to several news sources that provide daily updates on the latest reported findings and news about Alzheimer's drugs in development, the latest clinical trials, and treatments using over the counter vitamins and medications. Numerous people have asked me for advice on caring for a family member afflicted with Alzheimer's disease, and I have put together this checklist of therapies that should be administered daily to the Alzheimer's patient, unless there is clear and convincing evidence that an individual patient will have an adverse reaction to one of these medications.

At the outset, please note that wandering behavior is NOT normal for Alzheimer's patients; it is a sign of depression that can often be treated and corrected with an antidepressant. Diarrhea accidents and urine accidents are not normal for Alzheimer's patients, and again, these symptoms can be treated with readily available medications. Too many doctors are quick to jump to conclusions that every ailment afflicting an Alzheimer's patient is due to the disease. Any doctor who tells you that Alzheimer's patients normally wake up in the middle of the night, or sleep too much, or lose their appetites, and nothing can be done about it, should be fired. I am happy to debate the merits of my approach with anyone ? medically qualified or not ? who claims that there are only one or two classes of drugs available to treat Alzheimer's sufferers.

1. Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors (AChEIs). A broad class of drugs inhibit the enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, in the brain. This class of drugs is fairly old as far as Alzheimer's therapies go; the first of these drugs became available in the 1995/96 period. One of the most popular of these drugs was also the second one in its class: donepezil HCL sold under the brand name "Aricept." Some newer drugs in this same class include galantamine hydrobromide, sold under the brand name Reminyl, and rivastigmine tartrate, sold under the brand name Exelon. In addition to being an AChEI, Reminyl also stimulates the nicotinic receptors, which means it should make a person more alert. We tried all three drugs and found Aricept worked best for my mother.

To make a long story short, Alzheimer's patients do not have enough of the chemical acetylcholine in their brains. Ideally, we would like to have a drug that generates new and abundant supplies of acetylcholine in the brain, but those drugs are still in development. As a second-best alternative, pharmaceutical firms developed drugs that would inhibit the body's natural enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine, thereby giving Alzheimer's patients a chance to maximize the use of what little acetylcholine is still produced in their brains.

Aricept, in the yellow 10 mg pills, has a long lasting effect and should be taken once a day. Reminyl is taken twice a day and has a shorter duration of efficacy. For whatever reasons, my mother responded better to Aricept than to Reminyl in terms of short term memory for completing daily functions, e.g., making her own breakfast. We could not detect any sign that Reminyl made her more alert. She began taking Aricept just months after it was approved by the FDA, which corresponded to the time she was originally diagnosed with Alzheimer's. A board-certified neurologist told us in 1997 it was best to take this drug at night, so that it could be dissolved in her system overnight and work at its peak when she awoke the next morning.

However, subsequent research has shown that all people need some breakdown of acetylcholine in their brains while sleeping to reach the deeper, more restful stages of sleep. Therefore, medical scientists now say that Aricept and other AChEIs should be taken in the morning, not at bedtime.

Contrary to news articles you may read, AChEIs are useful in the advanced stages of the disease, not just in the early stages. Even advanced-stage patients need as much acetylcholine as they can get. Some clinical studies are now underway to see whether the long-term, chronic consumption of AChEIs can slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, even if they cannot stop the pathology of the disease.

Michael A. S. Guth, Ph.D., J.D., is a pharmaceutical economics researcher currently investigating treatments for Alzheimer's disease, hyperlipidemia, and osteoporosis / bone mineralization. More information about his research work is shown on his web page http://riskmgmt.biz/economist/pharmeco n/pharmecon.htm. Utilizing a strong quantitative and statistical background, critique and discover the weakness in any medical study drawing statistical inferences from (clinical trial) data.

Higgins & Burke Six Flavor Tea Bag Assortment, Variety Tea, 120/Carton

In The News:

---

'Alternative' Medicine Is Mainstream
Wall Street Journal - 5 hours ago
By DEEPAK CHOPRA , DEAN ORNISH , RUSTUM ROY and ANDREW WEIL In mid-February, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and the Bravewell ...
Integrative Medicine Hawaii Health Guide
all 3 news articles

The best alternative medicine for children
CNN - 18 hours ago
She cut out foods from her diet that could be irritating her son's stomach, such as dairy, soy and chocolate, and her doctor prescribed medicine for his ...

'Grey's Anatomy': Death Row Medicine
Zap2it.com - 4 hours ago
It's a sad and transformative act in his life, and for a fleeting moment I'm interested in why he chose medicine rather than donning a bat costume and ...

New Zealand Herald
Analysis: Deficit spending is tough medicine
The Associated Press - Jan 7, 2009
WASHINGTON — It's a painful dilemma. The expected growth of the federal government budget deficit to $1.2 trillion this year could swamp future generations ...
Video: Obama Names Chief Performance Officer AssociatedPress
Analysis: Deficit spending is painful medicine Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce (subscription)
all 2,237 news articles

UT Southwestern professor honored by Academy of Medicine ...
Dallas Morning News, TX - Jan 8, 2009
Researchers from Houston and Austin have won the academy's awards for medicine and engineering. Ranganathan, 45, is a professor of pharmacology at UT ...
UT Southwestern scientist honored among best in Texas research EurekAlert (press release)
all 5 news articles

Alternative Medicine Clinic Owner Busted
WXIA-TV, GA - 5 hours ago
ATLANTA -- The owner of an alternative medicine clinic in Tucker has been fraudulently billing insurance companies for un-authorized care. ...
Tucker woman arraigned on health-care fraud charges Bizjournals.com
Tucker Clinic Charged with Health Care Billing Fraud MyFox Atlanta
all 6 news articles

Capital News 9
What's in your medicine cabinet?
Capital News 9, NY - 1 hour ago
Where's your medicine cabinet? Most often, it's in the bathroom and according to some experts, it may not be the best place. Like most bathrooms they get ...

New York Times
Daschle and Democrats to Get a Dose of Pharma's Medicine
Hawaii Reporter, HI - 13 hours ago
By Lindsay Renick Mayer , 1/8/2009 10:41:10 AM Former Sen. Tom Daschle had an easy time today before the Senate panel that's considering his nomination as ...
A taste of Obama's own medicine NephrOnline
Stay Healthy: Government Healthcare May Be Coming The New American
Time for change's Journal Democratic Underground
PR Newswire (press release) - The Associated Pressall 655 news articles

Boston Globe
Flu Strain Resistant to Antiviral Medicine, CDC Says
CNBC, Englewood Cliffs - 12 hours ago
... says since October of last year 99 percent of specimens from a particular virus that were tested did not respond to the antiviral medicine, Tamiflu. ...
Study: Bird Flu Could Be Resistant To Drugs eFluxMedia
Tamiflu-resistant strain found in Houston children Houston Chronicle
all 93 news articles

ABC News
CNN's Medicine Man Tapped for Surgeon General?
E! Online - Jan 6, 2009
CNN reports that the president-elect has approached the network's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, about taking on the post of US Surgeon ...
Video: CNN Correspondent Approached for Surgeon General AssociatedPress
Hotline After Dark -- Your Love Is Like Good Medicine National Journal
Surgeon General: Sanjay Gupta TIME
Washington Post - The Phoenixall 1,619 news articles

medicine - Google News

Are You Sometimes Confused by Written Medical Instructions?

Now, imagine what it would be like if you were sick, scared and had only third grade reading skills. Your doctor tells you, "You've got to follow... Read More

Physicians, Chiropractors and Physical Therapist Agree on a New Treatment for Low Back Pain

One of the most prevalent and difficult health conditions to treat in the physical medicine is low back pain. The difficulty in treating low back pain comes... Read More

Seroquel Side Effects: Effects of Seroquel Worth the Risk?

Seroquel is an atypical antipsychotic drug that is used to treat hallucinations, delusions and confusion caused by psychotic conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Atypical antipsychotics... Read More

Serzone Side Effects Lead to Serzone lawsuits

Serzone is a prescription medication that is given to patients who are seriously depressed (Dysthymia,Major Depression, and Bipolar Disorder) to alleviate the symptoms of depression such as... Read More

Lunesta Dependence

Lunesta is a newly released sleeping pill. Marketed as a revolutionary sleep aid, Lunesta is the only medication approved by the FDA for long term treatment of... Read More

Clinton on South Beach Diet

Clinton's recent quadruple bypass surgery has been largely debated. Being on the South Beach Diet made everybody wonder how the former president's illness advanced so much as... Read More

Root Canal Therapy: Frequently Asked Questions

OverviewA diseased or injured nerve use to mean that you were likely to lose a tooth. This is no longer the case thanks to root canal therapy.... Read More

How To Medically Treat Nail Fungus

Warning: This article is for information only and can not be used to supplement your doctor's advice. You should contact your doctor for nail fungus treatment.Treatment Of... Read More

Study Confirms IBS Improvement

Irritable bowel syndrome is a debilitating and distressing condition, which affects 10-20% of the population. IBS is characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel function such as... Read More

Discipline Medicine

Most writers suffer from a lack of discipline. The urge to procrastinate is strong as writing is agonizing work because it is done alone without support from... Read More

Three Questions People Are Asking About Health Care in America

Q. Why is there so may uninsured people in America?A. There are over 44 million uninsured people in this country and over 75 million underinsured because of... Read More

A Look at the Different Acid Reflux Symptoms

Acid reflux symptoms vary in degrees of discomfort, from person to person, and within different age groups. The most common and persistent symptom is a burning sensation... Read More

Chicago Drug Rehab: Long Term Help For a Real Recovery

The central location of the city of Chicago has made it a hub for the distribution of drugs in the Midwest, though much of the problem remains... Read More

The Right Stethoscope For Your Needs!

Just about all health care providers have need of stethoscopes. Whether you're a nurse, respiratory therapist or a medical doctor, the need to auscultate the chest, lungs... Read More

Medical Collections

Although you make a patient feel better, there isn't usually anything tangible to be a reminder of your service. When it comes time for the patient to... Read More

195,000 Die Annually From Hospital Mistakes

It just seemed too absurd to be true, but there it was in the August 2, 2004 edition of Newsweek I picked up the other day: "According... Read More

Buy Electric Wheelchairs Online

Electric wheelchairs mobility for virtually any type of disability.Innovations have made control of electric wheelchairs manageable for everyone. Today, manual and electric wheelchairs have become a physical... Read More

Stop Taking Blood Pressure Medications with Your Doctors Approval

I have been swallowing three varieties of blood pressure pills for 10 years. In another month, I expect to be off of them entirely. And that's with... Read More

Medical Malpractice Suits: Death By Medicine

A recent report has found that Americans are more frightened of dying at the hands of their doctor than they are of a plane crash. The overwhelming... Read More

Ulcers Are No Laughing Matter

Peptic ulcers, which are in the stomach and the duodenum (the first part of the intestine leading from the stomach) can occur at any age and affect... Read More

Molluscum Contagiosum Virus (MCV) Treatment Information - But First, What Is Molluscum?

Molluscum contagiosum treatment is certainly possible with the correct treatment information.Many people are told that molluscum contagiosum must be left to run its course (even by dermatologists).... Read More

The Neurological Exam: Evaluating the Master Organ

How does a mind contemplate itself? That's a philosophical question I'll leave to minds smarter than mine, but what I can tell you is how to examine... Read More

Online Pharmacies are Making it Possible for Internet Consumers to Acquire Prescriptions Online

Internet Pharmacies are convenient and quick, but some websites selling prescriptions may be putting your health at risk. Consumers must take into account risk factors involved with... Read More

Drug Abuse In Teens: Online Drug Abuse Identification Help

Teen drug abuse is at an all time high, but not in the same way that most people might assume. Parents are accustomed to hearing about teens... Read More

Exposing the Miracle Cure

It was Saturday morning and while I was making breakfast, letting the cats outside, and watering my half-dead plants, I had the TV on. Saturday morning TV... Read More

A Fresh Start Plan for People With Neck Pain!

"If you have to deal with chronic neck pain, it can be a real struggle. I know? because I've had to do it myself," states Dr. Nathan... Read More