Namenda memantine HCI

How Does Namenda Work?

Learn More About the Namenda Difference

Namenda® (memantine HCl)* works in a unique way and is different from other prescription medications used to treat Alzheimer's disease. 1-5 In a class by itself, Namenda targets a brain chemical known as glutamate. 6,10± Nerve cells rely on a variety of chemical messengers to transmit messages from one cell to the next. One of those chemical messengers is glutamate.

Glutamate is a chemical in the brain that has been associated with learning and memory. Abnormal glutamatergic activity in the brain may lead to Alzheimer's disease symptoms. Namenda may help to improve abnormal glutamatergic activity.

Other Alzheimer's medications, known as AChEIs (acetylcholinesterase inhibitors), such as Aricept® (donepezil)**, work by targeting a different brain chemical called acetylcholine. When there is too little acetylcholine in the brain of a person with Alzheimer's disease, memory and learning can be affected. AChEIs work by addressing that problem. 9

Next Topic: Is Namenda Right for You?

± Under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA), the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) developed Model Guidelines Version 2.0, outlining drug categories and classes that may be used by prescription drug plan in developing their formularies. The USP Guidelines were used as the classification structure for approximately 74% of formularies that were in place when the new Medicare Part D benefit became activated January 1, 2006. 7,8

  1. Namenda® Prescribing Information. Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc. St Louis, Mo.
  2. Aricept® Prescribing Information
  3. Razadyne® Prescribing Information
  4. Exelon® Prescribing Information
  5. Doraiswamy PM. CNS Drugs. 2002
  6. US Pharmacopeia. Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Model Guidelines Version 2.0: Drug Categories and Classes in Part D. Rockville, Md: United States Pharmacopeial Convention, Inc.; February 6, 2006
  7. US Pharmacopeia. Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Model Guidelines Version 2.0: Preamble. Rockville, Md: United States Pharmacopeial Convention, Inc.; February 6, 2006
  8. USP revising Medicare Model Guidelines. USP Press [newsletter]. January 2006: 1, 4
  9. Alzheimer's disease: Unraveling the Mystery. National Institutes of Health, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services; 2002. NIH Publication Number 02-3782
  10. Alzheimer's Association. FDA-approved treatments for Alzheimer's disease. Available at: www.alz.org/national/documents/topicsheet_treatments.pdf. Accessed on November 9, 2007
  • *Namenda is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease.
  • **Aricept is a product of Eisai Inc. and Pfizer Inc. Aricept is not manufactured by the makers of Namenda.