ARICEPT Reviews (DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 1.7 (210 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare ARICEPT with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Gender males first. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
More on ARICEPT: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ARICEPT | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 5 | short term memory loss | none noticed | my husband was started on Aricept when he began asking me the same questions within 5 minutes. We were frequently having the same conversation. I think it has done wonders for him as he immediately showed improvement and has only shown slight decline since then. He is still very active, stays mentallly alert by studying and teaching. He will get confused if we are in a new location and has some perceptual/problem solving difficulties | M | 79 | 7 years 10 mg 1X day | 4/9/2010 | 5 | Alzheimers | Diarrhea | Excellent. Transformed my FIL and has brought him back to us for 2 years now! We are now seeking anti depressants to help make sure he does not withdraw into himself. | M | 76 | 730 days | 11/28/2004 | 5 | Alzheimers | Diarrhea. When going to the toilet it comes out in an explosive manner. Disconcerting. Does anyone know how to counteract the diarrhea? | This drug has slowed down the disease dramatically and given a higher quality of life. Everyone who has Alzheimers should have the option to have this drug (assuming no complications with other medication or health problems). In UK the government are against giving it because of the cost - that is cruel to the patient and relatives. | M | 77 | 2 years | 5/16/2005 | 5 | part of a program for adult ADD | none noticed | After about a 2 week build up period suggested by my doctor, it seems to have helped me to focus and stay with my work. Am definitely getting a lot more done and feel much better about my contribution. Of course, not that it is part of a larger medical and habit adjustment program. Still,it was the only significant recent change that proceeded this result. | M | 58 | 4 months | 3/7/2007 | 5 | Slowly dreaming less and less and came to the point that I could not remember if I had any dreams at all. I did not notice any extensive memory loss although my wife was always making remarks about my memory. | My family has had several cases of Alzheimer, including my father (d. age 80) 2 first cousins (d. age 80, d. age 63) 2 first cousins suffering with Alzheimer (age 79 and age 83). I mentioned my symptoms to my doctor and asked about Aricept. He said he did not believe it would harm me to try Aricept, that has been 4 years now. No side effects. Dreams returned and are very vivid and very detailed. I do retain memories of the dreams. I am very active mentally. I maintain 3 Internet Web Sites and do extensive Genealogy research. Have not noticed any more extensive losses of memory, no more than any other acquaintances of my age. | M | 73 | 4 years | 3/24/2009 | 5 | Gradual memory impairment | No side effects, except after about three days a litte insomnia, but that passed after three more days and now sleep is pretty normal, and even more productive for organizing experiences from the previous day. | It's a miracle product. The process of regaining my memory of childhood details is miraculous. Aricept has doubled my reading speed, increased my ability to use vocabulary, and enabled me to organize my thoughts much more quickly. It has practically tripled my reflexes. I can catch falling items in mid-air instantly and reflexively. Every day, my memory gets better and I've only been taking it a little over a week. I can jump from image to image from 40 years ago as if the events occurred yesterday, and these are thoughts and images I hadn't seen or remembered in over 40 years--all back for the first time since then as a result of aricept. Makes me feel like a superhero now! | M | 55 | 9 days | 9/3/2008 | 5 | memory loss,confusion,indifference | During first 4 months especially after dosage increase - horror scary dreams, almost no sleep, nausea coming on suddenly, diarrhea off and on, vomit feeling for hours, long intense muscle cramps of entire limb mostly legs, instant onset fatigue and mild anorexia | After about 4 months the side effects became minimal, however my mental ability was restored to the level of when I was in my 40's, intelligence level became frightening high. Prior to taking donepezil I had only driven a car twice in the previous two months for fear of getting confused and lost, now I drive long distances, this is truly a miracle drug. My results may be better than most, but in spite of the side effects, it gives a quality of life that makes you want to live for tomorrow. | M | 69 | 6 months 20mg 1X day | 6/13/2015 | 4 | Alzheimers | No side effects. No improvement in memory - but no worse. | Has anyone thought that it might be the patients dementia and not the aricept causing the dreams/behaviour. My dad's sister wasn't on medication and had bad nightmares/not sleeping/wandering/bad behaviour on and off for years with her dementia. Dad has had no problems so far! Aricept might not be for everyone - but it is worth trying! | M | 80 | 4 months 5mg | 12/4/2015 | 4 | Alzheimers | Am writing on behalf of my father who was diagnosed with Alzheimers in January 2005. He had been having memory loss problems for a while before being diagnosed and we suspected he may have it for a while before being diagnosed, but he put it down to stopping work as he had been self-employed and used to being busy. He started withdrawing from life as he knew it, refusing to go out, not wanting to converse or socialize with anyone, including his own family. He seemed to be in a depression and had no real interest in life any longer. | He was started on Aricept 5mg increased to 10mg after a year. We saw an immediate change FOR THE BETTER in him. He regained all his prior interests in life, was far more chatty and happy in himself than he'd been for a very long while. It was as if he'd been lifted out of himself and we were extremely pleased with the good result of this drug. He's just been to the memory clinic for his 6-monthly check up and he didn't score very well, so they now want to withdraw it as they say it isn't doing any good, but we don't want it to be stopped. He went into permanent residential care last month. We lost my mum last year and I was his carer until then. We decided to put him into care because he's no longer safe in his own home (for a variety of reasons, all linked to his Alz). At the care home he helps do simple chores and at my house he still peels vegetables and can make a drink for himself, with step-by-step instructions. We're really afraid that if he comes off Aricept he'll lose what precious little skills he has left, so we're fighting to keep him on it. We live in the UK and it's paid for by our National Health Service and is therefore free to him but I know it is an expensive drug. He isn't on any other medication as he has excellent health in every other way. We believe that everything my father can still do is thanks to Aricept and personally I would advise anybody to try it. I know it isn't for everyone, but it has definitely worked for him. | M | 79 | 4 years | 11/30/2009 | 4 | following a TIA | none reported | My father was prescibed Aricept by his GP several years ago when my mother complained to his doctor that he had become too "forgetful". He complained of diarrhea and nausea and refused to take the drug after only a few doses. During a follow-up appointment with a neurologist, he was told that his forgetfulness was consistent with his age at the time. About nine months ago, he rather suddenly became withdrawn, very forgetful, spoke very quietly and hesitantly, and had trouble walking. When his condition did not improve, he went through a battery of tests and was eventually diagnosed as having suffered another TIA (years earlier, he was told that MRIs and CT scans showed signs that he'd suffered a TIA...most likely during a triple bypass surgery). He was prescribed a generic for Aricept, and it helped him very quickly. He still suffers from some forgetfulness and, after playing in pinochle and bridge groups for most of his life, decided he could no longer play cards very well and quit these groups. He still has some balance problems and walks with a pronounced shuffle. However, he is more engaged, responsive and talkative on the generic for Aricept. He did not remember having tried Araicept several years earlier, and has not complained of any side effects this time. | M | 84 | 6 months 1X day | 9/15/2010 | 3 | cognitive decline | I am a counselor and work with elderly adults who take Aricept on a weekly basis. I work with one gentleman who was having some behavioral difficulties while taking it. He also had behavioral difficulties before taking it. His physician held his Aricept for 7 days and behavior improved. It was therefore discontinued. | It's important to consider that this man also began eating more (adequate amounts) during this time, per his wife's report. This may have been a confounding factor. Furthermore, I've talked to family members who are dissatisfied that Aricept does not improve memory/cognitive status. Current research however, indicates Aricept does NOT normally improve memory performance. Aricept DOES, however, delay the advancement of cognitive decline caused by Alzheimer's Dementia and some other forms of dementia. I have been told overwhelmingly that while family members don't notice Aricept IMPROVING cognitive performance, they DO notice that their loved ones decline much quicker once they discontinue use of Aricept. This makes sense, because it is very consistent with current research findings. It's also important to know that physicians don't always tell patients about behavioral side effects of Aricept because they are pretty unusual. In most cases I've seen, benefits outweigh the side effects experienced from Aricept use. It's also important to note that people who are offering things like Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, and/or Ativan for depressed mood are offering the wrong medicine for the wrong symptom. Xanax and the others are called benzodiazapines and are primarily intended for treatment of anxiety (nervousness), not depression. They can also make people groggy and elderly people are more sensitive to medications in general. If your loved one is taking a benzodiazapine and | M | 29 | 10 mg 1X day | 3/24/2011 | 3 | dementia type symptoms | briefly nauseated until gotten used to. | Aricept was prescribed for my Dad,he was experienceing dementia type symptoms,was having behavioral issues at night and was easily agitated. Aricept helped a little with the forgetfulness,it has made him more focused so he can understand better,but the best thing it has done is to calm him down at night.Before Aricept it was problem behavior from sundown to sunup. Now it is only occasional. | M | 85 | 6 months | 6/22/2004 | 3 | Alzheimer's | My dad has been taking Aricept for about five weeks now. At first he was quite nauseated and still has a severe lack of appetite. Recently his legs are itching severely...any thoughts on this? | Took Dad to a neurologist who told us that Aricept is no more than candy...that he doesn't see the value in taking it. | M | 78 | 5 weeks | 2/25/2007 | 3 | Memory Loss due to Head Injuries | -Very- vivid dreams. No nausea or vomiting. | Greetings. I'm a 33 yr old man, in great shape, but have suffered a number of head injuries in the past due to my occupation, military background and sports. I am suffering from memory loss, which seems to get progressively worse every year. My neurologist gave me some Aricept, and I took my first dose last night. I did not suffer any nausea or vomiting, although I did have -very- vivid dreams. This was not mentioned in the side effects; they were not nightmares, and I was aware that I was dreaming, but they were usually vivid, and seemed to last the entire night. Hope that this helps. Regards, - J | M | 33 | 1 days | 12/30/2009 | 3 | hault memory loss restore reasonin | slight insomnia, rare upset stomach, | Can't tell a very big difference, but friends/family say they have. Not startling, but subtle. | M | 78 | 1 months 30mg | 11/5/2015 | 2 | Dementia | My father who died in May 2011 took this drug from September 2007 until 6 months before his death, which was due to a broken hip, not his stage 6 Alzheimer's. It was good at 1st but last 3 months before taking him off of it he would have violent outbursts at me and my mother who has Parkinsons. I would CAUTION ALL CARE GIVERS that if your patient becomes violent, take them off this drug. I believe his dementia had advanced so far it was not doing any good anymore. Once off the drug he was calm and compliant, no violent outbursts. | M | 90 | 4 years 1X day | 3/19/2014 | 2 | brother was diagnosed with dementia | My 53 year old brother was misdiagnosed with dementia and was taking aricept, what would this do to him since he was misdiagnosed????? Please sometime help me I can be reached at [email protected] | M | 53 | 1 years 50 | 4/14/2014 | 2 | My father | Delusions: he imagines masses of people walking aound. Then he realizes that it is not real. | Possibly muscle pain and weakness, unstable walk. He did not have these symptoms before Aricept. | M | 93 | 2 years | 7/19/2009 | 2 | Mild Alzheimer's w/ memory loss. | My 67-year-old husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's on PET/CT scan. He was prescribed 5 mg. Aricept. After only 4 days, he developed depression, agitation, nervousness, diarrhea, nightmares w/ talking in sleep and loss of appetite. He had been doing well without these symptoms and only very mild short-term memory loss. His primary-care doctor said that if the side effects of Aricept were making him so upset and unable to eat normally that he should discontinue it immediately. We have just discontinued it and are praying that he returns to his "old self" with just the mild memory loss. | Our physician said Aricept is NOT for everyone and all you can do is try it and see if it works for you. His opinion was that if didn't work for you or you didn't like and couldn't tolerate the side effects that you should stop it immediately and dispose of it. We have. This Aricept prescription and resultant side effects occurred in July 2009. | M | 67 | 4 days | 8/1/2009 | 2 | Dementia | This is being written about my father. After a few days on Aricept, he started sounding much more authoritative rather than confused. However, he became delusional and his behavior changed substantially. After taking him off it, he returned to "normal" | Probably works for some. Watch reaction carefully. | M | 84 | 10 days | 5/15/2007 |
ARICEPT (DONEPEZIL HYDROCHLORIDE): Donepezil is used to treat confusion (dementia) related to Alzheimer's disease. It does not cure Alzheimer's disease, but it may improve memory, awareness, and the ability to function. This medication is an enzyme blocker that works by restoring the balance of natural substances (neurotransmitters) in the brain. FDA Approval Date: 1996-11-25 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)