Some patients, he says, have been taking the drug for five years. In the United States, the acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are the only approved treatment for Alzheimer's, and, faced with no other treatment options, you'd expect every Alzheimer's patient would be begging for one of them. Health care providers are not doing a good enough job. Here are Alzheimer's warning signs . Another reason for the low use of cholinesterase inhibitors may be their relatively small overall benefit.
Some patients get dramatic benefits.
On average the effect on a group of patients is modest. It's great, it may keep them independent, at home longer, there's less likelihood of institutionalization.