Consumer Reports Health Consumer Reports Health - AlzheimersConsumer Reports.org|Cars|Appliances|Home Garden|Electronics|Babies kids|Money|Food The medicines used to slow mental decline in people with Alzheimer's disease are not particularly effective. When compared with a placebo, only 10 to 20 percent more people taking an Alzheimer's drug seem to benefit at all. And it is the rare person who has a significant delay in the worsening of their symptoms over time. Aricept's and Razadyne's lower risk of adverse effects and higher tolerability justify their choice. We choose Namenda because it is the only drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat people with middle- to late stage Alzheimer's disease. It also acts differently in the body than the other drugs, and because of that can be taken in addition to them. That could be an advantage, but we caution that studies have not yet conclusively established whether such combination treatment is better than treatment with one drug alone.
