Treatment

Treatment of Mild Cognitive Impairment

Medications
There are no medications to treat the symptoms of MCI. The medications available to treat Alzheimer’s disease have been used in some studies but are not always recommended.  For this reason, it is important that the memory loss or other thinking changes are evaluated to consider options.

Progression
Persons with MCI have an increased risk for developing Alzheimer's Disease (a neurodegeneration brain condition) or related disease (e.g., frontotemporal dementia) especially if the main change is in short term memory. This progression is likely to occur within 5 years of the diagnosis of MCI. However, not everyone with MCI will develop Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia.

To Family and Friends
Consider how the changes caused by MCI are affecting the person’s life. Support this person to stay active and find strategies for coping. Keep in mind that the memory loss and other changes are caused by the MCI and cannot be controlled by the person.