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Treatment of dementia

More Information Dementia care at Mayo Clinic Complete blood count (CBC) CT scan Show more related information Treatment Most types of dementia can't be cured, but there are ways to manage your symptoms. Medications The following are used to temporarily improve dementia symptoms. Cholinesterase inhibitors. These medicines work by boosting levels of a chemical messenger involved in memory and judgment. They include donepezil (Aricept, Adlarity), rivastigmine (Exelon) and galantamine (Razadyne ER). Although primarily used to treat Alzheimer's disease, these medicines also might be prescribed for other dementias. They might be prescribed for people with vascular dementia, Parkinson's disease dementia and Lewy body dementia. Side effects can include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Other possible side effects include slowed heart rate, fainting and sleep problems. Memantine. Memantine (Namenda) works by regulating the activity of glutamate. Glutamate is another chemical messenger involved in brain functions such as learning and memory. Memantine is sometimes prescribed with a cholinesterase inhibitor. A common side effect of memantine is dizziness. Other medicines. You might take other medicines to treat symptoms or other conditions. You may need treatment for depression, sleep problems, hallucinations, parkinsonism or agitation.