This common period pain medication reverses Alzheimer's symptoms in mice - in just one month

Alzheimer's and Dementia are a scourge of the modern world, and most people know someone affected by this disease. I too have a loved one who suffers from this condition, and it is heartbreaking to see an able bodied person become more or less a vegetable.

There may be some hope on the horizon.

www.sciencealert.com...

Scientists have discovered that the pain reliever mefenamic acid – usually given to help with period pain – has a notable side effect: it also reverses the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice.

Mice with symptoms of Alzheimer's were treated with doses of mefenamic acid for one month, and their memory loss and brain inflammation completely cleared up.

So it works on mice, but getting it to work on humans may be more difficult.

If the same treatment can be translated to humans – although that's a big if – then we could have a promising new treatment for Alzheimer's disease on our hands.

The team from the University of Manchester in the UK thinks the drug's results could be due to a link between Alzheimer's and inflammation in the brain – something that mefenamic acid helps to tackle.

"There is experimental evidence now to strongly suggest that inflammation in the brain makes Alzheimer's disease worse," said lead researcher David Brough.

There at currently about 44 million people suffering Alzheimer's or a related form of dementia. If this medication can be made to work on humans, it will be a true revolution in health.

Link to the original report here.

Look at the difference in price in this link. It's reasonable everywhere but the USA I guess. What are we here, some sort of "mark" for the Pharma companies? en.wikipedia.org...

most of the meds to treat Alzheimer increase acetylcholine to balance it to dopamine in the brain. Coffee works for that, don't forget the eggs for breakfast a couple of times a week too. Need the choline to go with the coffee.

Thank you for this information. I take care of my 90 yr old mother with dementia/Alz. Im going to research for drug interactions with her other meds and if there are no problems, I will try adding this. It cant hurt. I hope it helps. Just a few days of clarity would be so awesome for her.

After a month I will report back and let you know if there are any changes. If it works, I will copy the info and give it to her doctor.

a reply to: cuckooold

From the wiki link supplied by rickym.

While studies have been conducted to see if mefenamic acid can improve behavior in transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease[16][17] there is no good evidence that mefenamic acid or other NSAIDs can treat or prevent Alzheimer's in humans; clinical trials of NSAIDs for treatment of Alzheimer's have found more harm than benefit.

Mefenamic acid is recommended to be taken with food.[7] Known mild side effects of mefenamic acid include headaches, nervousness and vomiting. Serious side effects may include diarrhea, hematemesis (vomiting blood), haematuria (blood in urine), blurred vision, skin rash, itching and swelling, sore throat and fever.[4]:334 It has been associated with acute liver damage.[3] In 2008 the US label was updated with a warning concerning a risk of premature closure of the ductus arteriosus in pregnancy

a reply to: skywatcher44

Those are pretty common side effects for any NSAID. Including the fetal closure of the DA. You can't give pregnant ladies Naprosyn or ibuprofen either, same issue.

Some people are actually allergic to them, thus the rash, itching, swelling parts.

They generally work, and this one does too, by suppressing prostaglandins and the COX enzyme systems. So does this one. Like ibuprofen, in big doses over a long time, it can cause erosion of the stomach lining and eventually ulcers (thus the hematemesis) and they constrict blood flow to the kidneys (thus the hematuria). This is the same sort of thing you can get from ketoprofen, toradol, ibuprofen and naproxen. It's not really any different in that respect.

What IS different about mefanamic acid is that it suppresses both COX 1 and 2, and unlike other NSAIDS it targets another enzyme system that causes glial/neural inflammation as well, and it crosses the blood brain barrier. So that's good. The bad part is, by shutting down both COX pathways it can cause cardiac issues over a long period.

Moral of the story: if you have bleeding problems, or chancy kidneys, or you're an alcoholic, or have a history of gastric or duodenal ulcers, or you're diabetic, or pregnant, best to leave it alone. If you're fairly healthy and don't overdo it and don't do it for endless periods of time, it MIGHT be interesting.

I've got some on order from my apocalypse pharmacy, you can also take Montelukast and stop another brain inflammation pathway, it's got next to no side effects. It is also key to limit starches and eat no sugar you can avoid - that's yet another thing that causes chronic brain inflammation.

so 484 dollars vs .88 cents.......amazing , huh!!!

I never can take too much Ibuprofen because it irritates my stomach - I've always wondered why they can't come up with an Ibuprofen patch you can wear to dispense the medicine without going through the digestive track. Aspirin would be another good patch to have, as some could benefit for preventing heart attacks but many can't take it because of the stomach problem.

a reply to: cuckooold

I was reading a piece about Kriss Kristofferson and how his Dementia was actually lymes disease and he was back to normal in 3 weeks

www.nextavenue.org...

This is a disease that I hope we make some progress fighting. I am only 30 right now, but one day I will be an old man - and as our life expectancies are getting longer, I figure there is a good chance I'll be old enough to get Alzheimer's or dementia

Unfortunately, NSAID's have their own dangerous side effects.

People who take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (other than aspirin) such as mefenamic acid may have a higher risk of having a heart attack or a stroke than people who do not take these medications. These events may happen without warning and may cause death. This risk may be higher for people who take NSAIDs for a long time. Do not take an NSAID such as mefenamic acid if you have recently had a heart attack, unless directed to do so by your doctor. Tell your doctor if you or anyone in your family has or has ever had heart disease, a heart attack, or a stroke, if you smoke, and if you have or have ever had high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes. Get emergency medical help right away if you experience any of the following symptoms: chest pain, shortness of breath, weakness in one part or side of the body, or slurred speech.

If you will be undergoing a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG; a type of heart surgery), you should not take mefenamic acid right before or right after the surgery.
medlineplus.gov...

It sucks getting old. Medications to treat certain illness/disease create other, new illness/diseases....for which you then need another new medication....which creates other new illness/diseases..... and the merrys go 'round.

FWIW, I convinced my no-prescription apocalypse pharmacy to carry Ponstan, which is mefenamic acid. I've never had the least bit of trouble or bs out of them, everything has been as described. Right here!

As always, take at your own risk, mind that if you can't take ibuprofen or naproxyn, this is not for you either. No pregnant ladies need apply. Or diabetics. Don't overdo. More is not better. Etc.

a reply to: emilyjones

I think the only way to know is to try different things and look at the results. I'd be interested in what happens if you discontinue it. Does the aching, etc., get better or stay the same?