Get help now — free helplines

You can call any of these for free. You do not need a diagnosis, an appointment, or a crisis to call — questions and plain exhaustion are reasons enough.

  • Alzheimer's Association 24/7 Helpline 800-272-3900 24 hours a day, 365 days a year Free, confidential support and information for people with dementia, caregivers, families and the public. Master's-level clinicians. Also Spanish.
  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline 988 24/7 Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. For anyone in emotional distress or a mental-health crisis, including caregivers.
  • Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) Helpline 866-232-8484 9:00 am - 9:00 pm ET, seven days a week Licensed social workers providing support, info and referrals. Also text message and web chat. Text: 646-586-5283

In a medical emergency, call 911. More numbers, and what each line does, on the help page.

Every row

Showing 6 of 382 rows. One row per study per exposure: a study that tested two different things appears twice, once for each.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Research and outcomes, 6 rows. Every row links to its source.
Exposure Question Direction Outcome measured Design People Effect size, as the source reported it Source
Anti-amyloid antibody Medicines Treatment No direction reported
why

A single-clinic safety series with no comparison group. It reports how often ARIA and infusion reactions happened in practice, which is useful, but it cannot estimate an effect of the drug in either direction.

ARIA and infusion reactions in routine care cohort study 234 ARIA 22%; symptomatic ARIA 5.7% overall, 27% in mild dementia vs 1.8% in MCI/very mild dementia JAMA Neurology 2025
✓ Peer-reviewed PMID 40354064
Antipsychotics (harms / discontinuation) Medicines Treatment Benefit
why

Direction is for STOPPING the antipsychotic: discontinuers were hospitalised less than matched continuers.

Hospitalisation, pneumonia and urinary tract infection cohort study 4,222 All-cause hospitalisation HR 0.83 (95% CI 0.72-0.96); pneumonia hospitalisation HR 0.51 (0.29-0.90) Alzheimer's Research & Therapy 2026
✓ Peer-reviewed PMID 42410659
Antipsychotics (harms / discontinuation) Medicines Treatment Benefit
why

Direction is for discontinuation: tapering after 12 weeks lowered the 24-month absolute risk of delirium and fracture versus continuing, with no difference in stroke, pneumonia or death. Results were similar for abrupt discontinuation and after 24 weeks.

24-month risk of delirium, fracture, stroke, pneumonia and death after tapering or stopping antipsychotics versus continuing cohort study 24,822 Compared with continuation after 12 weeks of treatment, estimated risks of delirium and fracture under the tapering strategy corresponded to 24-month ARDs of -2·46% (95% CI -4·10 to -1·27) and -2·80% (-4·14 to -1·29), respectively. Estimated risks for stroke, pneumonia, and all-cause mortality were similar between strategies The lancet. Healthy longevity 2026
✓ Peer-reviewed PMID 42302797
Antipsychotics (harms / discontinuation) Medicines Treatment Harm
why

Wider range of harms than regulatory alerts had flagged, with the highest risks soon after starting. No increase in ventricular arrhythmia.

Stroke, pneumonia, venous thromboembolism, MI, heart failure, fracture, acute kidney injury cohort study 173,910 Pneumonia HR 2.19 (95% CI 2.10-2.28); stroke HR 1.61 (1.52-1.71); absolute 90-day pneumonia risk difference 2.99% BMJ 2024
✓ Peer-reviewed PMID 38631737
Cholinesterase inhibitor / memantine Medicines Treatment Benefit
why

Observational: 80% of residents were on no anti-dementia drug, so who gets prescribed and who does not may itself track prognosis.

All-cause mortality cohort study 25,358 Adjusted hazard ratios for mortality vs no anti-dementia drug: "HR: 0.826, 95%CI 0.769 to 0.888 for AChEI; 0.857, 95%CI 0.795 to 0.923 for memantine; 0.742, 95%CI 0.640 to 0.861 for AChEI plus memantine" Alzheimer's Research & Therapy 2024
✓ Peer-reviewed PMID 38812028
Cholinesterase inhibitor / memantine Medicines Treatment Benefit
why

Cholinesterase inhibitors, not memantine: -0.39 MMSE points a year against -2.50 with no treatment. The mortality benefit held only in the first year. Registry data with weighting, not a trial.

MMSE decline per year; mortality cohort study 1,095 MMSE change: -0.39 points/year (95% CI -0.96 to 0.18) with cholinesterase inhibitors vs -2.49 (-4.02 to -0.97) with memantine and -2.50 (-4.28 to -0.73) with non-use. Mortality in the first year after diagnosis: adjusted HR 0.66 (95% CI 0.46 to 0.94) Alzheimer's & Dementia 2024
✓ Peer-reviewed PMID 39177108

How this table was built, and where it is weak →

Last updated