Sometimes, Parkinson’s does affect the thinking parts of
the brain, and so leads to other kinds of dementia. One type, called cortical dementia with Lewy bodies, has become
better understood in recent years, and may account for many of the people who
have symptoms of both Parkinson’s and dementia early in the course of the
illness. People with this condition are particularly prone to get early side effects
such as hallucinations, so the doses of the drugs given may be more cautious.
Some patients may respond to the acetylcholinesterase inhibiting drugs more
commonly tried in Alzheimer’s disease. These include donepezil (Aricept),
galantamine (Reminyl), rivastigmine (Exelon), and memantine (Ebixa). The latter
has a slightly different mechanism of action. These drugs are usually
prescribed via a memory clinic and
patients are assessed carefully as to whether they are suitable and whether they
respond.
