Unfortunately, there are currently no medicines proven to effectively treat the underlying causes of HD. However, basic and clinical research has dramatically increased our knowledge of HD in the last years. Many studies are ongoing to investigate its pathogenesis and to find drugs that can prevent or slow down disease progression (called disease-modifying treatments). Several promising treatment strategies are now in the drug pipeline and may be available for clinical trials in the near future.

Although there is no cure for HD at the moment, some treatments do control the symptoms of the disease (symptomatic treatments) and improve quality of life. These are divided into pharmacological (drug) and non-pharmacological (non-drug) treatments. Pharmacological treatments comprise any medicines used to treat the symptoms of HD. Non-pharmacological treatments, such as psychotherapy, physical, respiratory, speech and cognitive therapies, may also improve both physical and psychological symptoms of the disease. For instance, improvements by these therapies have been reported for mood state, motor control, speech, balance, swallowing and gait.

Chorea, bradykinesia, irritability, apathy, depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances have been reported as the most distressing problems of HD. There are different options for the pharmacological treatment of these symptoms.

Certain antipsychotics (neuroleptics) for chorea and hyperkinesias; antidepressants for depression, apathy and other mood disorders; anxiolytic drugs for anxiety; and hypnotic drugs for sleep disturbances. However, many medicines may cause side effects and some of them may counteract others. In addition, the same medication may have distinct effects in different individuals. Thus, the ideal balance has to be determined individually by an experienced HD specialist according to the symptoms and treatment outcomes.

The benefit of a special diet rich on vitamins, coenzymes and other compounds (e.g. creatine, coenzyme Q10 and ethyl-EPA) for HD is much discussed but not clinically proven. In the later stages of the disease, weight loss can be a problem and high calorie diet may become necessary. Referral to a dietician may be helpful.