Use of Alternative Medicine in Patients With Dementia and Mild Cognitive Dysfunction

Overview

So far, no drugs have shown to stop or delay the pathological processes of dementia. Available pharmacological treatment includes a small number of drugs; cholinesterase inhibitors like donepezil, galantamine and rivastigmine, and the NMDA receptor antagonist memantine, all of which only affect the symptoms of the disease. At the same time, alternative medicines like herbal products and dietary supplements are often intensively marketed with the assertion of curative or alleviating effects on dementia. The documentation of clinical effects, side effects and the potential for interaction with prescribed drugs are, however, generally scarce. The aims of this study are to make a survey of the use of alternative medicine in patients with dementia and mild cognitive dysfunction attending the investigators out-patient dementia clinic, and to assess the interaction potential with the patient's other medications.

Patients: All patients with a diagnosis of dementia under follow-up at the out-patient clinic are invited to participate, if giving a written consent. Method: a semi-structured interview is undertaken by the doctor at the end of the consultation. Patients and their company are asked to name their alternative medicines (if any), for how long the products have been used, where and how they learned about the products, ant to tell about their experiences with the products (i.e if they have noticed effects or side-effects). After the consultation information of the the actual product's contents and properties are obtained and an assessment of possible interactions with the patient's other drugs (prescriptions and self-reported use of over-the-counter drugs) is made. Reported effects or side-effects are registered.

Conditions