How are Alzheimers disease medications handled in the body?
When taken by mouth, cholinesterase inhibitors are absorbed into the blood stream and carried to all body tissues, including the brain. Cholinesterase inhibitors are gradually eliminated from the body after being broken down (metabolized) by the liver and kidneys. Since the liver is the main organ of medication metabolism, diseases or medications affecting the liver may change medication metabolism but rarely necessitate adjustment of dose. As people grow older, they also metabolize medications more slowly. While about one-third of memantine is metabolized before excretion, most is excreted unchanged in the urine.