Chapter Summary

This chapter discussed the disease processes and drug classifications used in managing two irreversible neurodegenerative conditions: myasthenia gravis and Alzheimer’s disease. With one exception, the drug classifications used in both diseases—direct- and indirect-acting cholinergic agonists and AChE inhibitors—essentially make more ACh available for use by the body. The increase in ACh is important for these diseases due to the degeneration of neurons that release ACh, which leads to a deficiency in this neurotransmitter. The NMDA receptor antagonists are the exception to this. This drug class prevents excess calcium influx into the cell, which can cause toxicity and cellular death. Although the medications used will not cure these diseases, they can help with symptom improvement and possibly delay progression of the disease. This allows the client to remain independent in performing their ADLs.