title: Benefits and risks of add-on therapies for Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Despite three decades of intensive research, the efforts of scientific society and industry and the expenditures, numerous attempts to develop effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease have failed. Currently, approved and widely used medications to treat cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease are symptomatic only and show at best modest efficacy. In this context, the need to develop a successful, disease-modifying treatment is loudly expressed. One way to achieve this goal is the use of add-on therapies or various combinations of existing 'conventional' drugs. Results of several clinical studies and post hoc analyses of combination therapy with all cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine are published. Moreover, there is a need for studies on long-term efficacy of combination therapy in Alzheimer's.
authors.affiliation: Department of Old Age Psychiatry & Psychotic Disorders, Medical University of Lodz, 92-216 Lodz, Czechoslowacka Street 8/10, Poland.
authors.forename: Radoslaw
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Magierski
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, Medical University of Lodz, 91-425 Lodz, Sterlinga Street 5, Poland.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sobow
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008559:Memantine / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D008559:Memantine
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; antioxidants; cholinesterase inhibitor; combination therapy; memantine; mild cognitive impairment; vitamins