Dementia medication

Although no current medications stop, slow down or reverse dementia, some can temporarily help a person with their memory and thinking. 

Read about possible side effects of dementia medications, what to do if you experience them and how you may be able to reduce them. 

Find out about starting treatment, whether medications for other health conditions can affect dementia symptoms, and how to make changes if a medication doesn’t seem to be working.

Read about taking medications safely, practical tips to help you to remember, and what to do if you miss a dose.

It’s important not to stop taking a medication without speaking to a doctor first, as this may make dementia symptoms worse. 

Antipsychotic drugs may be prescribed for people with dementia who develop changes such as aggression and psychosis. However this is usually only after other drugs have been tried such as anti-depressant, anti-dementia and anticonvulsant drugs.

It is common for people with dementia to develop changes in mood and behaviour. In most cases, with the right person-centred care and support, these changes will pass. Non-drug approaches that should always be tried first.

If drugs are prescribed, they should always be used alongside individualised support and non-drug approaches, based on the person’s needs. The doctor will then monitor how effective the treatment is over a limited period of weeks or months.