Dementia. Your medicine. Information for you. Follow us on Find us on Facebook at

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1 Dementia Your medicine Information for you Follow us on Find us on Facebook at Visit our website: All our publications are available in other formats

2 Medication may be prescribed as part of your treatment for symptoms you may be experiencing. You are more likely to have a positive experience with your medicines if you know a bit more about them and what to expect when you take them. This leaflet gives you some information about different aspects of the medication: What medications are available? How do these medicines work and what effect do they have? What can be the side effects? What are the arrangements for getting my medication? What medicines are available? Currently four medicines are available for the treatment of Alzheimer s disease. Sometimes they are also used to treat other forms of dementia. Donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine are prescribed to treat mild to moderate dementia. They are known as a group by the term acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. 2

3 Memantine can be used to treat patients with moderate to severe symptoms of dementia. None of these medicines can offer a cure. However for a proportion of people the medicines can provide benefits, such as improving symptoms or temporarily slowing down their progression. How do these medicines work and what effect do they have? Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors: donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter (or brain chemical ) which carries messages between brain cells. In Alzheimer s disease less acetylcholine is produced. Usually there is a cycle where acetylcholine is made, messages sent and then the acetylcholine broken down by an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase. Donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine help to stop the acetylcholine being broken down and so 3

4 there is more available in the brain to continue to carry messages between brain cells. Memantine Brain cells can be damaged in dementia and release too much of a brain chemical called glutamate, which may further reduce brain cell function. Memantine works between brain cells to allow them to manage better with the increased amounts of glutamate. The medicines can provide modest and temporary improvements in memory or slow down the rate of decline in memory, improve thinking (decision making), ability to function (self-care) and improve behaviour. What can be the side effects? The three most common side effects people experience when starting acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. With memantine, headache, sleepiness, constipation, dizziness and high blood pressure can occur. There are also many potential drug interactions that can occur with both prescription and over-the- 4

5 counter or non prescription medications. There are also potential drug interactions with alternative, herbal and homeopathic medicines too. Always check with your community pharmacist if buying any medicines and they will check for any interaction with your other prescribed medicines. What are the arrangements for getting my medicine? Once you have been stabilised on the dose that s right for you, prescribing of your medicine for dementia will usually be transferred from the Consultant Psychiatrist to your General Practitioner (GP). This will mean you can get the medicine for dementia on the same prescription as any other regular medicines from your GP and you can have them all dispensed together by your community pharmacist. You will be monitored at appropriate intervals depending on your individual circumstances by 5

6 the Community Mental Health Team for the Elderly (CMHTE) and assessed every year by your Consultant Psychiatrist. Remember Do not start, stop, or change how much medicine you take, or how often, without consulting your doctor. Before you start any new medication, always make sure the doctor is aware of your other medications. Other useful information The Choice and Medication website can help you make a decision about a treatment, mainly medication. These are the locations and telephone numbers of all of the Community Mental Health Teams (Elderly) in NHS Ayrshire and Arran: CMHT (Elderly), Brooksby Medical & Resource Centre, 31 Brisbane Road, Largs CMHT (Elderly), Arran War Memorial Hospital, Lamlash, Isle of Arran. 6

7 CMHT (Elderly), Ballot Road Clinic, Ballot Road, Irvine CMHT (Elderly), North West Kilmarnock Area Centre, Western Road, Kilmarnock CMHT (Elderly), Auchinleck Health Centre, Auchinleck North Ayr CMHT (Elderly), Upper Recreational Hall, Main Building, Ailsa Hospital, Ayr South Ayr CMHT (Elderly), Upper Recreational Hall, Main Building, Ailsa Hospital, Ayr

8 All of our publications are available in different languages, larger print, braille (English only), audio tape or another format of your choice. Tha gach sgrìobhainn againn rim faotainn ann an diofar chànanan, clò nas motha, Braille (Beurla a-mhàin), teip claistinn no riochd eile a tha sibh airson a thaghadh Tell us what you think... If you would like to comment on any issues raised by this document, please complete this form and return it to: Communications Department, 28 Lister Street, University Hospital Crosshouse, Crosshouse KA2 0BB. You can also us at: comms@aaaht. scot.nhs.uk or comms@aapct.scot.nhs.uk. If you provide your contact details, we will acknowledge your comments and pass them to the appropriate departments for a response. Name Address Comment ADTC 261(1), Approval date 5 December 2014, review date December 2017 Leaflet reference: MIS GD