Combination therapy of donepezil and vitamin E in Alzheimer disease

A retrospective chart review was performed on 130 patients from the Ohio State University Memory Disorders Clinic to examine the long-term effects of combination therapy with donepezil and vitamin E on patients with Alzheimer disease. Subjects were included if they met National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria for probable Alzheimer disease, had taken at least 5 mg donepezil and at least 1000 U vitamin E daily, had at least a 1-year follow-up while continuing these medications, and had a Mini-Mental State Examination score of 10-24. The Mini-Mental State Examination was then recorded annually thereafter. These data were compared with the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease database for patients collected prior to the availability of these treatment options. Patients declined at a significantly lower rate as compared with the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease data. The long-term combination therapy of donepezil and vitamin E appears beneficial for patients with Alzheimer disease. Future prospective studies would be needed to compare combination treatment to vitamin E and donepezil alone.