TABLE 5.

Pharmacological treatment for VaD and their effects.

Drug classes	Drugs	Effects
Cholinesterase inhibitors	Donepezil, Galantamine, Rivastigmine	Safe and effective in reducing the progression of VaD in addressing the behavioral problems.
Vasodilators	Niacin (nicotinic acid), Cyclandelate, Papaverine, Isoxsuprine, Cinnarizine, Buflomedil, Naftidrofuryl, Ergoloid mesylates, Acetazolamide	Have shown to be less effective in treating VaD compared to cortical dementias like Alzheimer’s.
Calcium channel blockers	Nimodipine	Moderately effective for short term in treating cerebrovascular disease and other types of dementia.
N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists	Nicardipine	Improvement of cognitive deterioration
NMDA antagonists	Memantine	Improve cognition consistently across different cognitive scales, with at least no deterioration in global functioning and behavior.
Nootropic agents	Piracetam, Nicergoline, Oxiracetam Citicoline, Pentoxifylline	have beneficial effects for patients with dementia in prolonging their survival.
Antiplatelet agents	Aspirin, Triflusal, Ginkgo biloba	Reduce/prevent the occurrence of stroke.