Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Comparison of Racetam Compounds and Current Medication

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether oxiracetam and aniracetam are more effective than donepezil and tacrine, two drugs currently used to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Past research suggests that oxiracetam and aniracetam are more therapeutically efficacious than donepezil and tacrine in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms (i.e., cognitive deterioration, tolerability, and quality of life). Oxiracetam and aniracetam appear to reverse the cognitive deficits of Alzheimer’s disease, whereas donepezil and tacrine seem to only slow down the deterioration of cognitive abilities. Research also suggests that oxiracetam and aniracetam may cause improvements in quality of life, whereas donepezil and tacrine provide mild, if any, improvement in quality of life. Future research on Alzheimer’s treatment should be conducted on large populations and focus on direct comparisons of the efficacy between Racetam and non-Racetam compounds. Abstract Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Comparison of Racetam Compounds and Current Medication