Skip to main content

Alzheimer’s disease treatment options.

Symptom relief used to be the only treatment option for Alzheimer’s disease. While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, medications are being studied that may help in all stages of the disease.

Mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease treatment

  • donepezil (Aricept)
  • galantamine (Exelon)
  • rivastigmine (Razadyne)

These are the most used drugs Alzheimer’s disease. They work by helping certain chemicals in the brain function better. They may slow the disease process, but they don’t stop it. Scientists are studying if these medications can work in people with severe Alzheimer’s disease.

Moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease treatment

Memantine (Namenda) lowers other brain chemicals that cause some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. It may be used alone or with other Alzheimer’s disease medications.

Recent treatments

Aducanumab (Aduhelm) is the newest Alzheimer’s disease treatment. It’s used in patients with mild dementia and in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Aducanumab is the first drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease itself, not just the symptoms. It does this by finding and destroying the buildup of certain plaques in the brain in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave “accelerated” approval to aducanumab. More studies (over the next several years) will find out if removing these plaques reduces the symptoms or slows the progress of Alzheimer’s disease. These studies will determine final FDA approval.

Doctors will monitor patients closely to look out for aducanumab’s possible side effects. A specialty pharmacy can also work with your care team. They’ll help make sure clinical guidelines and scientific standards are followed as we learn more about this drug.

Talk to your doctor about which treatment is right for you.

Other treatment options

In addition to the medications above, there are other options available. These include:

CVS Specialty® and Coram® CVS Specialty Infusion Services (Coram) work together to dispense and administer Alzheimer’s therapy to patients. To learn more about how Coram is keeping you safe and healthy at home during infusion treatments, click here.

This information is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Talk to your doctor or health care provider about your medical condition and prior to starting any new treatment. CVS Specialty assumes no liability whatsoever for the information provided or for any diagnosis or treatment made as a result, nor is it responsible for the reliability of the content.