A recent study has found that combining the Alzheimer’s disease drugs donepezil and memantine can significantly extend the lives of patients with the disease.
The study, published in Communications Medicine, analyzed the medical data of over 12,000 patients with Alzheimer’s disease and found that the combined use of these two drugs increased the probability of five-year survival by 6.4% compared to no drug use and single drug use of memantine and donepezil.sourse
The study, led by researchers at Chapman University, focused on patients who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and received one of three treatments: donepezil, memantine, or a combination of both.
Also Read…Understanding Alzheimer’s Risk: APOE4 Gene & Brain Function
The researchers tracked the patients’ outcomes five years later and found that the mortality rates for patients on no drug treatment, only using memantine, and only using donepezil were 36%, 32%, and 42% higher than for patients who used the combination of both drugs, respectively.
The study’s findings suggest that the combined use of donepezil and memantine can provide a significant survival benefit for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. This is particularly important given that Alzheimer’s disease is the world’s most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting over 50 million people globally and being among the top five causes of death worldwide.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Ehsan Yaghmaei, emphasized the importance of re-evaluating current treatment protocols for Alzheimer’s disease in light of these findings.
He noted that the combined treatment approach could help reduce medical costs and improve patient outcomes, ultimately enhancing healthcare efficiency.
The study’s results are consistent with previous research that has shown the benefits of combining donepezil and memantine. For example, a 2010 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the combination of donepezil and memantine was more effective than treatment with either drug alone in improving cognitive and functional outcomes in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease.
Overall, the study’s findings highlight the potential benefits of combining donepezil and memantine in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and underscore the need for further research into the most effective treatment approaches for this devastating condition.
how long does it typically take to see improvements in patients taking both drugs
The time it takes to see improvements in patients taking both donepezil and memantine can vary depending on several factors, including the severity of the patient’s Alzheimer’s disease, their individual response to the medications, and the specific outcomes being measured.
The studies mentioned in the sources do not provide a direct answer to this question. However, they do offer some insights into the timing of the benefits associated with the combined use of donepezil and memantine.
For example, the study published in Communications Medicine found that the benefits of donepezil and memantine were modest and appeared to be larger in the absence of the other agent than in the presence of the other agent.
This suggests that the benefits of the combined treatment may be more pronounced over a longer period sourse.
Also Read ..
