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sidereaOkay, this is sort of a long shot, but I figured I'd ask and see if anybody knows.
I just learned that there's a medication available in other countries – particularly in Italy, where apparently most of the research on it was done – for Alzheimer's and vascular dementia. It's also for other organic brain insults like stroke.
It's not a cure, to be sure, but it had good results in placebo controlled trials [PDF] for relieving some of the symptoms: improving memory and cognitive performance, reducing irritability and other symptoms of depression. It's apparently now regularly used in those countries.
Amazingly – and yet not – this medication not approved as a drug by the FDA. It is, however, readily available in the US OTC as a nutritional supplement. (See my extensive discussion on drug vs nutritional supplement in the US if you're unclear what this means.)
I just had a conversation with a neurologist who told me he literally has never heard of it.
I'm getting that sinking feeling. Here's an actual medication that apparently is quite safe and well tolerated (if, as usual, the patient doesn't have a fluke allergy to it), and relieves symptoms of some awful conditions, and is regularly prescribed in other countries.... But because it's a mere "nutritional supplement"... well, I suspect suspicion of the category "nutritional supplements" means they don't get prescribed to – or provided to – people in nursing homes.
So I thought I'd ask you, gentle readers in the US (or, heck the Commonwealth countries, just indicate which in your comments), for those of you who are party, whether as medical professionals or caregivers, to the medication regimens of someone(s) with any form of dementia, including Alzheimer's, whether your patient has been offered any of:
• Gliatilin
• Delecit
• choline alphoscerate / choline alfoscerate
• L-Alpha glycerylphosphorylcholine
• Alpha GPC
These are all synonyms, and the last one is the name it's best known by in the US. If you call up, say, Cambridge Naturals, and ask for "Gliatilin", I expect they won't know what you're talking about; but if you call and ask for "Alpha GPC" they'll be all like, "sure, you want we should hold a bottle at the register for you?"
I'm not even concerned if your patient is taking it – just whether it's even come up as an option.
Both negative and positive answers are valuable.
I just learned that there's a medication available in other countries – particularly in Italy, where apparently most of the research on it was done – for Alzheimer's and vascular dementia. It's also for other organic brain insults like stroke.
It's not a cure, to be sure, but it had good results in placebo controlled trials [PDF] for relieving some of the symptoms: improving memory and cognitive performance, reducing irritability and other symptoms of depression. It's apparently now regularly used in those countries.
Amazingly – and yet not – this medication not approved as a drug by the FDA. It is, however, readily available in the US OTC as a nutritional supplement. (See my extensive discussion on drug vs nutritional supplement in the US if you're unclear what this means.)
I just had a conversation with a neurologist who told me he literally has never heard of it.
I'm getting that sinking feeling. Here's an actual medication that apparently is quite safe and well tolerated (if, as usual, the patient doesn't have a fluke allergy to it), and relieves symptoms of some awful conditions, and is regularly prescribed in other countries.... But because it's a mere "nutritional supplement"... well, I suspect suspicion of the category "nutritional supplements" means they don't get prescribed to – or provided to – people in nursing homes.
So I thought I'd ask you, gentle readers in the US (or, heck the Commonwealth countries, just indicate which in your comments), for those of you who are party, whether as medical professionals or caregivers, to the medication regimens of someone(s) with any form of dementia, including Alzheimer's, whether your patient has been offered any of:
• Gliatilin
• Delecit
• choline alphoscerate / choline alfoscerate
• L-Alpha glycerylphosphorylcholine
• Alpha GPC
These are all synonyms, and the last one is the name it's best known by in the US. If you call up, say, Cambridge Naturals, and ask for "Gliatilin", I expect they won't know what you're talking about; but if you call and ask for "Alpha GPC" they'll be all like, "sure, you want we should hold a bottle at the register for you?"
I'm not even concerned if your patient is taking it – just whether it's even come up as an option.
Both negative and positive answers are valuable.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-17 10:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-19 10:22 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-20 02:02 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-22 07:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-23 09:05 am (UTC)Alzheimer's Disease as Type 3 Diabetes
Date: 2017-02-24 11:02 pm (UTC)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769828/
J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2008 Nov; 2(6): 1101–1113.
Published online 2008 Nov. doi: 10.1177/193229680800200619
PMCID: PMC2769828
Alzheimer's Disease Is Type 3 Diabetes–Evidence Reviewed
Abstract's final sentence: We conclude that the term “type 3 diabetes” accurately reflects the fact that AD represents a form of diabetes that selectively involves the brain and has molecular and biochemical features that overlap with both type 1 diabetes mellitus and T2DM.
Re: Alzheimer's Disease as Type 3 Diabetes
Date: 2026-05-16 01:50 am (UTC)https://youtube.com/shorts/tNN3lEIrCHE
Re: Alzheimer's Disease as Type 3 Diabetes
Date: 2026-05-16 02:48 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-24 10:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-24 11:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-24 11:27 pm (UTC)