Namenda (memantine) and PSP

A group member with progressive supranuclear palsy asked me recently what I knew about two Alzheimer’s drugs — Aricept and Namenda — in treating PSP. I posted a few days ago about Aricept, which is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor.

Here is a link to that post:

https://www.brainsupportnetwork.org/aricept-and-psp-2001-study

This post is about Namenda, which is a chemical receptor agonist that appears to work by regulating the activity of glutamate, a messenger chemical in the brain. Glutamate plays an essential role in learning and memory.

I found an interesting fact sheet on Namenda from the Alzheimer’s Association:

http://search.alz.org/Resources/FactSheets/FSmemantine.pdf

According to this Alzheimer’s Association publication, Namenda is approved for moderate to severe AD, which is defined as initial scores ranging from 3 to 14 on the Mini-Mental State Exam or MMSE. The FDA’s approval was based on the evidence provided by two drug-company studies. In one study, those taking Namenda showed a small but statistically significant benefit in a test of their ability to perform daily activities and on the Severe Impairment Battery when compared to those taking a placebo. In another study of people who had previously taken Aricept for 6 months, those taking Namenda showed a statistical benefit in performing daily activities and on the Severe Impairment Battery when compared to those taking a placebo and Aricept.

From this publication I learned that Namenda is NOT approved for mild Alzheimer’s. I will take this information to my father’s neurologist next month. My dad has mild to moderate dementia, I would say, yet he’s been on Namenda for 2 years.

Robin