Pros & Cons
Memantine Pros and Cons
- Memantine hydrochloride can effectively treat moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease without causing too many adverse effects.
- This medication is available as a tablet (immediate-release), capsule (extended-release), and oral solution.
- You only need to take the extended-release form once a day.
- People who have trouble swallowing pills can open the XR capsule and add the contents to some applesauce.
- Memantine is available in a low-cost generic form.
- It can take a few weeks for memantine to improve Alzheimer's disease symptoms.
- The immediate-release tablet, which is the cheaper form, needs to be taken twice daily.
- Memantine can treat moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease but is not effective in people with early stages of the disease. Another group of drugs called cholinesterase inhibitors is used to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.
- Memantine does not cure Alzheimer’s disease.
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