Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s DiseaseEveryday Health Special Report: Blueprint for Brain Health

Alzheimer’s Disease Treatments: Medication, Lifestyle Changes, and More

Alzheimer’s Disease Treatments: Medication, Lifestyle Changes, and More
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Updated on October 9, 2025
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There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but treatments are available that can slow the progression of the disease and help manage symptoms.

Alzheimer’s disease causes a gradual decline in memory, thinking, and other cognitive functions. It can also cause mood and behavioral changes.

People with Alzheimer’s are increasingly unable to meet the demands of daily life. During the final stage of the disease, they become fully reliant on others for care.

Of the drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat Alzheimer’s disease, two, lecanemab (Leqembi), and donanemab (Kisunla), are disease-modifying drugs. They remove beta-amyloid, a type of protein, from the brain. Clumps of beta-amyloid are thought to cause some of the damage that ultimately leads to Alzheimer’s.

The other FDA-approved drugs aid thinking and memory, decrease functional impairment, and decrease neuropsychiatric manifestations of the disease. They do not, however, slow the disease or treat the underlying cause of the disease.

Many other drugs can improve behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer’s, such as depression and aggression, offering relief to both patients and caregivers.

Nondrug approaches, including various types of clever distractions, talk therapies, arts activities, and cognitive rehabilitation, can also improve functioning and psychological well-being.

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, your healthcare professional can help you navigate the treatment choices.

Drug Treatments for Early-Stage Disease

What Are the Current Drug Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease?

Neurologist Gayatri Devi, MD, walks through the existing drugs used to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
What Are the Current Drug Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease?

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The disease-modifying Alzheimer’s medication lecanemab received full FDA approval in 2023 for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease. Lecanemab reduces beta-amyloid plaques in the brain, and it has been shown to modestly slow the progression of cognitive decline in those who take it.

It’s usually given as a liquid infusion through a vein in your arm. In 2025, the FDA approved a weekly auto-injection version of the medication that you or a caregiver can administer at home. It’s meant as a maintenance treatment for people who’ve had 18 months of infusions, and it was shown in clinical trials to have similar effectiveness and safety to intravenous lecanemab.

Potential side effects of lecanemab include brain swelling and bleeding, so periodic magnetic resonance imaging scans are done during treatment to monitor for this side effect.

The other available anti-amyloid drug, donanemab (Kisunla), received full FDA approval in July 2024, after clinical trials showed that the drug significantly slowed cognitive decline in people with early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease.

 It’s also given by intravenous infusion.

Like lecanemab, donanemab can potentially cause amyloid-related imaging abnormalities, which can include temporary swelling of the brain or small spots of bleeding in or on the brain, as a side effect.

Only people with evidence of beta-amyloid accumulation in the brain — which can be detected through a lumbar puncture or a positron emission tomography scan — are eligible to use lecanemab or donanemab.

The first disease-modifying medication to be approved to treat mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer’s dementia, aducanumab (Aduhelm), was discontinued by the drug maker in 2024.
Medications
Purpose
lecanemab (Leqembi), donanemab (Kisunla)
Aid memory and cognitive skills, slow disease progression
donepezil (Aricept), galantamine (Razadyne), benzgalantamine (Zunveyl), rivastigmine (Exelon)
Treat symptoms of cognitive decline related to memory, thinking, language, and judgment
donepezil and memantine (Namzaric)
Improve cognitive symptoms
memantine (Namenda)
Improve memory, attention, reasoning, language, and the ability to perform simple tasks
suvorexant (Belsomra)
Treat insomnia
brexpiprazole (Rexulti)
Reduce agitation

Medications That May Help Sharpen Your Mind

These are the drugs approved by the FDA to treat cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s:

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

Donepezil, galantamine, and rivastigmine belong to a class of drugs called cholinesterase inhibitors. Donepezil and rivastigmine are prescribed to treat mild, moderate, or severe Alzheimer’s dementia, while galantamine and a derivative drug, benzgalantamine (Zunveyl), are prescribed for mild to moderate symptoms.

Cholinesterase inhibitors are thought to help with cognitive symptoms by preventing the breakdown of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter (chemical messenger) in the brain that’s believed to be important for memory and thinking.

Since the brain produces less acetylcholine as the disease progresses, these drugs may become less effective over time.

Other potential problems are side effects, such as nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite and weight loss, and diarrhea.

Doctors may prescribe memantine for moderate to severe Alzheimer’s. This drug is an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist believed to work by regulating another neurotransmitter called glutamate that is important for learning and memory.

Side effects of memantine include headaches, constipation, diarrhea, confusion, and dizziness.

The combination of memantine and donepezil (Namzaric) is used to treat moderate to severe Alzheimer’s.

Support Groups and Other Nondrug Treatments

Whether or not a person is taking medication for Alzheimer’s, nondrug therapies can be helpful for maintaining quality of life. These may include:

  • Talk therapy, such as sessions with a mental health counselor or meetings with a support group, to cope with the emotional challenges of this diagnosis
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy, a type of psychotherapy, to counter depression and anxiety
  • Cognitive stimulation therapy to keep the mind active with themed activity sessions that challenge the brain
  • Cognitive rehabilitation to relearn lost skills or develop new compensating skills
  • “Life story work” — telling or documenting personal experiences and memories to improve mood, well-being, and mental function
  • Singing, dancing, art, and other activities that keep patients physically, mentally, and socially engaged to boost confidence and cognitive skills and lower anxiety

What Are Nondrug Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease?

Gayatri Devi, MD, discusses some therapies for Alzheimer’s disease outside of standard drug treatment.
What Are Nondrug Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease?

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Can Exercise Make a Difference?

There is some evidence that exercise can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, and that it has some cognitive benefits for those living with it.

In one study, subjects with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease took part in a supervised exercise program involving 150 minutes of walking per week. After six months, some (but not all) of the subjects performed better on tests measuring memory and thinking skills. Those subjects also showed a slight increase in brain size.

In a second study, adults with Alzheimer’s engaged in either moderate-intensity cycling on a recumbent stationary cycle or in stretching for 20 to 50 minutes a session three times a week for six months. While both groups showed a slower decline in cognitive function than what would be expected in the general Alzheimer’s population, aerobic exercise (cycling) did not slow cognitive decline any more than stretching did, which it had been expected to do. Nonetheless, the researchers recommended aerobic exercise as a complementary therapy for Alzheimer’s disease.

Drugs for Depression, Anxiety, Agitation, and Insomnia

Other drugs — including antidepressants, anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, anti-anxiety drugs, and sleep aids — are sometimes used to treat behavioral problems associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

When counseling, support groups, or other nondrug methods don’t help with depression or anxiety, doctors may prescribe one of the following drugs:

  • citalopram (Celexa)
  • mirtazapine (Remeron)
  • sertraline (Zoloft)
  • bupropion (Wellbutrin)
  • duloxetine (Cymbalta)
  • imipramine (Tofranil)
  • escitalopram (Lexapro)

Agitation is a common symptom of Alzheimer’s that’s distressing for both care providers and the person experiencing it. A person with agitation typically appears anxious, restless, and upset and may act out verbally or physically.

In 2023, the FDA approved the antipsychotic drug brexpiprazole (Rexulti) for the treatment of agitation in Alzheimer’s disease, in spite of its raising the risk of premature death in elderly people with dementia.

Insomnia can be a problem for some people with Alzheimer’s, and one drug, suvorexant (Belsomra), is approved for treatment of insomnia in Alzheimer’s. Potential side effects of suvorexant include drowsiness the next day and impaired driving skills.

Other drugs can be used to address behavioral issues in Alzheimer’s, but because of potentially dangerous side effects, doctors prescribe them with extreme caution.

Sleep aids not specifically approved for Alzheimer’s disease can cause confusion and lead to falls.

Antipsychotics like risperidone (Risperdal) can increase the risk of death in some older people with dementia, so doctors prescribe them only as a last resort to alleviate severe hallucinations, paranoia, agitation, and aggression.

Benzodiazepines like diazepam (Valium) should also be generally avoided in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. They raise the risk of falling in elderly persons as well as the risk of becoming dependent on the drug.

The Search for New Alzheimer’s Drugs Is Ongoing

Many potential Alzheimer’s treatments are currently being investigated.

Some experimental treatments target two hallmarks of the disease: amyloid plaques (abnormal clumps of the protein fragment beta-amyloid) and tau protein tangles inside brain cells.

Scientists are studying the enzymes that clip beta-amyloid from its parent compound, amyloid precursor protein (APP). They are also looking at the pathways by which those beta-amyloid fragments form into plaques, hoping to develop medication that interferes with these processes.

Researchers are also exploring the potential of immunotherapy, working to develop antibodies against beta-amyloid that can remove plaque from the brain.

Inflammation is another area of Alzheimer’s drug research. Changes in the brain that occur in Alzheimer’s disease cause chronic inflammation — called neuroinflammation — that in turn exacerbates the damage already being done in the brain. Preventing or decreasing neuroinflammation could potentially have therapeutic benefits.

The Takeaway

  • Alzheimer’s leads to a gradual decline in cognitive functioning, eventually severely impacting daily life.
  • Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but new FDA-approved drugs can slow the disease, and various other drug treatments can help manage symptoms.
  • Nondrug therapies are also important for maintaining quality of life.
  • If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, talk to your doctor about the range of treatment possibilities.
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David Weisman, MD

Medical Reviewer

David Weisman, MD, is the director of the Clinical Trial Center at Abington Neurological Associates in Pennsylvania, where he has conducted numerous clinical trials into mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease to develop disease-modifying drugs.

Dr. Weisman has dedicated his research career toward advancing new therapies for Alzheimer’s disease, focusing on clinical trials for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, and other dementias, and he devotes his clinical practice to memory and cognitive problems.

He received a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Franklin and Marshall College, then an MD from Penn State College of Medicine. After an internship at St. Mary’s Hospital in San Francisco, he completed his neurology residency at Yale, where he served as chief resident. He then went to the University California in San Diego for fellowship training in Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Weisman has published papers and studies in journals such as Neurology, JAMA Neurology, Stroke, and The New England Journal of Medicine, among others.

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Pamela Kaufman

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Pamela Kaufman assigns and edits stories about infectious diseases and general health topics and strategizes on news coverage. She began her journalism career as a junior editor on the health and fitness beat at Vogue, followed by a long stint at Food & Wine, where she rose through the ranks to become executive editor. Kaufman has written for Rutgers University and Fordham Law School and was selected for a 2022 Health Journalism Fellowship from the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Kaufman enjoys going on restaurant adventures, reading novels, making soup in her slow cooker, and hanging out with her dog. She lives in New York City with her husband and two kids.

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Resources
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