Alzheimer’s Treatments: What Helps, What to Know, and How to Decide
If you or someone you care for is living with cognitive decline, it can be difficult to make sense of Alzheimer’s treatments, medications, and the many lifestyle recommendations you may encounter.
This page is designed to help you understand what current treatments can and can’t do, how they fit into the bigger picture of brain and metabolic health, and how a pharmacist-led, whole-person approach can support thoughtful, informed decisions.
Current Alzheimer’s treatments focus primarily on:
- Managing symptoms
- Slowing progression in select individuals
- Supporting safety and daily function
They do not fully reverse the disease, and they work differently for each person. This is why treatment decisions benefit from careful consideration of medical history, medications, lifestyle factors, and personal goals.
Cognitive decline rarely occurs in isolation. Brain health is closely connected to:
- Metabolic health and blood sugar balance
- Sleep, stress, and inflammation
- Nutrition and physical activity
- Medication effects and interactions
Understanding how these factors interact can make treatment decisions clearer and more personalized.
Cholinesterase Inhibitors
(Donepezil, Rivastigmine, Galantamine)
- Most helpful in early to moderate stages
- May improve attention, memory, and daily function
- Common side effects: nausea, appetite changes, sleep issues
Memantine
- Often used in moderate to later stages
- Helps regulate glutamate signaling in the brain
- Can support behavior and daily activities
🔍 Pharmacist Insight:
Response varies widely. Dose timing, drug interactions, and side effects often determine success more than the medication choice itself.
Anti-Amyloid Monoclonal Antibodies
(e.g., lecanemab, donanemab)
These therapies:
- Target amyloid plaques in the brain
- Are intended for early Alzheimer’s or MCI due to Alzheimer’s
- Require MRI monitoring
- Carry risks such as brain swelling or microbleeds (ARIA)
Important considerations before starting:
- Eligibility criteria
- MRI access and monitoring schedule
- Cost and insurance coverage
- Individual risk tolerance and goals of care
🧠 These are not appropriate for everyone — thoughtful discussion is essential.
👉 A look at at what the data actually shows for new therapies, including potential benefits and risks ✅ Covering: lecanemab (Leqembi®), donanemab (Kisunla™)
Medications work best when paired with supportive strategies:
Nutrition: Mediterranean-style eating patterns
Movement: Regular aerobic and strength-based activity
Sleep optimization
Cognitive engagement
Caregiver education and stress reduction
📌 These approaches can:
- Improve daily functioning
- Reduce behavioral symptoms
- Support overall brain resilience
👉 Dive deeper into science-supported habits that can support brain health and quality of life, alongside treatment ✅ Comparing: Generalized protocol, Precision medicine protocol, The Bredesen Protocol®
Alzheimer’s treatment costs vary widely depending on therapy type, disease stage, and insurance coverage.
- Traditional medications are often low-cost generics and may be covered by insurance.
- Newer biologic therapies can involve high annual costs, along with required imaging and infusion services.
- Coverage varies by diagnosis, stage, and payer.
Some individuals and caregivers also choose self-pay support for added guidance, such as:
- Independent pharmacist medication reviews
- Health coaching and whole-person education
A pharmacist can help you:
- Understand coverage and cost-saving options
- Clarify what is insurance-based vs. self-pay
- Avoid unnecessary or duplicative therapies
The goal is clearer decisions — not more complexity.
To bring clarity to complex decisions, I use a structured framework called the Functional Medicine (FM) Operating System.
Rather than focusing on isolated symptoms, this approach helps connect:
- Alzheimer’s treatments and medications
- Brain and metabolic health
- Lifestyle habits
- Life experiences over time
The goal is not to replace medical care, but to support better conversations, prioritization, and follow-through.
The FM Tree is a visual model that helps explain how symptoms such as memory changes, fatigue, or weight gain may stem from shared underlying contributors. It encourages us to look beyond symptoms alone and consider factors like blood sugar balance, inflammation, sleep, stress, medications, and nutrition—all of which influence brain function and metabolism. For caregivers, this approach shifts the focus from “what’s failing” to “what’s influencing,” supporting more compassionate, informed care decisions.
The FM Timeline is a structured way to map your health history across your life to uncover patterns that may still be affecting you today. Because cognitive and metabolic changes often develop gradually, it helps identify when contributors like prolonged stress, medication use, or hormonal shifts began—allowing for more accurate support. For caregivers, this fuller picture reduces confusion, validates lived experience, and builds confidence in next steps.
Curious if this approach is right for you?
The FM Matrix is a clear snapshot of how key body systems—brain, metabolism, digestion, hormones, and immune function—are working together right now. It helps caregivers see how daily habits and supports affect symptoms, making care decisions feel more understandable and less overwhelming. By highlighting which actions have the greatest impact, the Matrix allows caregivers to focus on what matters most, track progress across systems, and support more sustainable changes that promote cognitive resilience and metabolic stability over time.
🔘 Get guidance from a pharmacist who understands caregiving → Caregiver Pharmacist Consultation
In early stages, some medications may lead to subtle improvements in attention, focus, or daily functioning within weeks to a few months. Other treatments aim primarily to slow progression, which may not feel immediately noticeable.
Lifestyle strategies — such as improving nutrition, sleep, physical activity, and stress management — may support energy, mood, or daily routines within weeks, while brain-related benefits tend to build over several months. The greatest benefit is often seen when medication care and lifestyle changes are combined early.
In later stages, treatments are less likely to improve memory but may help support behavior, comfort, and daily function. Benefits may include reduced agitation, improved routines, or better tolerance of daily care.
Lifestyle and environmental strategies can still be meaningful, particularly for:
- Comfort and safety
- Sleep–wake patterns
- Reducing distress for both the individual and caregiver
In later stages, success is often measured by quality of life rather than cognitive improvement.
No. Response varies widely based on:
- Stage of disease
- Overall health and metabolic factors
- Genetics
- Medication tolerance and interactions
- Consistency with supportive lifestyle habits
This variability is why treatment plans benefit from ongoing review and individualization rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Yes. Alzheimer’s care is dynamic. Medications, doses, and lifestyle strategies may be adjusted as symptoms, goals, or side effects change.
Regular reassessment helps ensure that treatment continues to offer benefit without unnecessary burden — especially as care priorities evolve over time.
Yes. Evidence supports combining medication management with evidence-based lifestyle and supportive strategies at all stages of Alzheimer’s.
While lifestyle changes are not a cure, they may help:
- Support daily function and routines
- Reduce symptom burden
- Improve resilience and caregiver well-being
Medication and lifestyle strategies are complementary, not competing — and together often provide the most practical benefit.
If you’d like help applying this information to your own situation, you can schedule a one-on-one consultation for personalized guidance on:
- Understanding treatment options
- Evaluating medication risks and interactions
- Making informed, values-based decisions
- Identifying cost-saving options when appropriate
- Working in partnership with your medical team
💬 The goal is not to add more care — but to make the care you choose more informed, coordinated, and manageable.
Alzheimer’s Association. (n.d.). Alternative treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/treatments/alternative-treatments
Alzheimer’s Association. (n.d.). U.S. POINTER study overview. https://www.alz.org/us-pointer/study-overview.
Blazer, D. G., & Kramer, J. H. (2023). Diet and exercise as complementary medicine for the management of Alzheimer’s disease: A narrative review. Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, 15(1), Article 87. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-023-01223-7
Food and Drug Administration. (2021). Watch out for false promises about so-called Alzheimer’s cures. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/watch-out-false-promises-about-so-called-alzheimers-cures
Institute for Functional Medicine. (n.d.). Nutrition: A key modulator of cognitive health. https://www.ifm.org/articles/nutrition-cognitive-health
Ngandu, T., Lehtisalo, J., Solomon, A., Levälahti, E., Ahtiluoto, S., Antikainen, R., … Kivipelto, M. (2015). A 2-year multidomain intervention of diet, exercise, cognitive training, and vascular risk monitoring versus control to prevent cognitive decline in at-risk elderly people (FINGER): A randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Neurology, 14(9), 868–878. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(15)00161-5.
Sultana, R., Perluigi, M., & Butterfield, D. A. (2023). Rationale for a multi-factorial approach for the prevention and management of Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 91(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-220858
Xu, W., Tan, L., Wang, H. F., Jiang, T., Tan, M. S., Tan, L., … Yu, J. T. (2015). Meta-analysis of modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 86(12), 1299–1306. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp-2015-310548
Functional Pharmacy
BODY, MIND, AND SOUL
Vestal, New York 13850
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The content on this website is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
Always consult your healthcare provider before making health decisions.