Precautions
Dosage Forms And Strengths ARICEPT is supplied as film-coated, round tablets containing 5 mg, 10 mg, or 23 mg of donepezil hydrochloride. The 5 mg tablets are white. The strength, in mg (5), is debossed on one side and ARICEPT is debossed on the other side. The 10 mg tablets are yellow.
What are the different forms of Aricept?
Take ARICEPT exactly as prescribed by the doctor. Do not stop ARICEPT or change the dose yourself. Talk with your doctor first. Take ARICEPT one time each day. ARICEPT can be taken with or without food. ARICEPT 23 mg tablets should be swallowed whole. Do not split, crush, or chew the tablets. ARICEPT ODT melts on the tongue.
How should I take Aricept?
Drug displacement studies have been performed in vitro between this highly bound drug (96%) and other drugs such as furosemide, digoxin, and warfarin. ARICEPT at concentrations of 0.3-10 micrograms/mL did not affect the binding of furosemide (5 micrograms/mL), digoxin (2 ng/mL), and warfarin (3 micrograms/mL) to human albumin.
Does Aricept interact with other drugs?
Mild side effects* of Aricept can include: Most of these side effects may go away within a few days or weeks. But if they become more severe or don’t go away, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. * This is a partial list of mild side effects from Aricept.
How long do the side effects of Aricept last?
Can you split Aricept 10 mg?
Donepezil should be taken at bedtime unless otherwise directed by your doctor. It may be taken with or without food, on a full or empty stomach. Swallow the tablet whole. Do not crush, break, or chew it.
Can Aricept be given twice a day?
The recommended starting dosage of ARICEPT is 5 mg administered once per day in the evening, just prior to retiring. The maximum recommended dosage of ARICEPT in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease is 10 mg per day.
Is 10 mg of donepezil a lot?
Abstract. Background: Donepezil is licensed for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) at doses of 5-10 mg/day and has recently been approved in the US for severe AD. Multiple studies have suggested that donepezil 10 mg/day provides additional cognitive and functional benefits over the 5 mg/day dose ...
Can Aricept be used for mild dementia?
Aricept is a brand-name prescription drug. The FDA has approved it to treat dementia due to mild, moderate, or severe Alzheimer's disease in adults.
Can you split donepezil in half?
Donepezil hydrochloride tablets should be taken in the evening, just prior to retiring. Donepezil hydrochloride tablets can be taken with or without food and should be swallowed whole with water. Donepezil hydrochloride tablets should not be split or crushed.
Why is Aricept taken at night?
Why does Aricept have to be taken at night? Aricept is taken at night because it can cause irregular or slow heartbeat for some patients, which can cause fainting. When it is taken at bedtime, patients are able to sleep through those side effects.
How many years can you take donepezil?
Donepezil (5 and 10 mg) is an agent with a simple once-daily dosage schedule which improves cognition and global clinical function in the short (up to 24 weeks) and long term (up to about 1 year) in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.
What is the success rate of donepezil?
As compared with other conventional acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs), donepezil is a highly selective and reversible piperidine derivative with AChEI activity that exhibits the best pharmacological profile in terms of cognitive improvement, responders rate (40%–58%), dropout cases (5%–13%), and side-effects (6% ...
Can you just stop taking Aricept?
Terminating treatment, especially abruptly, is not without consequences for the patient. It has been reported that intense hallucinations can occur after sudden donepezil withdrawal [2]. One published study has suggested that discontinuation of treatment with donepezil may bring withdrawal symptoms [3].
Will Aricept help short term memory?
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.
What is the most common side effect of donepezil?
The most common side effects of donepezil are diarrhoea, headache and feeling sick (nausea). You can take it with or without food. Drinking alcohol stops donepezil from working as well as it should.
How long does Aricept stay in your system?
Aricept (Donepezil) half-life is approximately 70 hours and a therapeutic level is usually reached within 3 weeks after initiation of therapy. From the available research data it is thought that the drug may persist in the body for more than 10 days.
What happens if you take too much donepezil?
If you take too much: If you take too much donepezil, you may have these side effects: severe nausea. vomiting. drooling (increased salivation)
Can you give Aricept in the morning?
How and when to take it. It's best to take your donepezil at bedtime. This is because you may feel dizzy after you take it. If donepezil gives you bad dreams or makes it hard to sleep, you can take it in the morning instead.
What time should I take Aricept?
Take this medication by mouth with or without food as directed by your doctor, usually once daily just before bedtime. If you experience sleep problems (insomnia), talk to your doctor about switching to a morning dose. If you are taking the 23-milligram strength tablets, swallow them whole.
How long does Aricept stay in your system?
Aricept (Donepezil) half-life is approximately 70 hours and a therapeutic level is usually reached within 3 weeks after initiation of therapy. From the available research data it is thought that the drug may persist in the body for more than 10 days.
What type of drug is Aricept classified as? Is it a psychotropic drug?
Aricept contains the active drug donepezil, which is classified as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. It’s used to treat dementia due to Alzheimer’...
Does stopping Aricept cause side effects? When and how can you stop taking the drug?
It is not known if stopping Aricept caused side effects in clinical studies of the drug. The manufacturer of Aricept recommends that you do not sto...
Can you take Aricept without having Alzheimer’s? Is the drug used for other forms of dementia, such ...
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved Aricept to treat dementia due to mild, moderate, or severe Alzheimer’s disease. It’s not a...
Will Aricept cause worsened dementia?
Aricept is used to treat dementia that’s caused by Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. But Aricept may help s...
How does Aricept compare with Prevagen?
Aricept and Prevagen haven’t been compared in clinical studies. Prevagen is a dietary supplement. It contains a jellyfish protein called apoaequori...
Does Aricept treat depression or Parkinson’s disease?
Aricept is FDA-approved to treat only dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. It’s not approved to treat other types of dementia or depression. But Ar...
What is the name of the enzyme that is a reversible inhibitor of acetylcholine?
ARICEPT (donepezil hydrochlor ide) is a reversible inhibitor of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, known chemically as (±)-2, 3-dihydro-5, 6-dimethoxy-2- [ [1- (phenylmethyl)-4-piperidinyl]methyl]-1H-inden-1-one hydrochloride. Donepezil hydrochloride is commonly referred to in the pharmacological literature as E2020. It has an empirical formula of C 24 H 29 NO 3 HCl and a molecular weight of 415.96. Donepezil hydrochloride is a white crystalline powder and is freely soluble in chloroform, soluble in water and in glacial acetic acid, slightly soluble in ethanol and in acetonitrile, and practically insoluble in ethyl acetate and in n-hexane.
What color are ARICEPT tablets?
The 23 mg tablets are reddish in color. The strength, in mg (23), is debossed on one side and ARICEPT is debossed on the other side.
What side is Aricept debossed on?
The strength, in mg (5), is debossed on one side and ARICEPT is debossed on the other side. The 10 mg orally disintegrating tablets are yellow. The strength, in mg (10), is debossed on one side and ARICEPT is debossed on the other side.
What is the difference between Aricept and 10 mg?
The 10 mg tablets are yellow. The strength, in mg (10), is debossed on one side and ARICEPT is debossed on the other side. The 23 mg tablets are reddish. The strength, in mg (23), is debossed on one side, and ARICEPT is debossed on the other side.
What is the strength of Aricept?
ARICEPT is supplied as film-coated, round tablets containing 5 mg, 10 mg, or 23 mg of donepezil hydrochloride. The 5 mg tablets are white. The strength, in mg (5), is debossed on one side and ARICEPT is debossed on the other side. The 10 mg tablets are yellow.
How long is the Aricept study?
In a study of 30 weeks duration, 473 patients were randomized to receive single daily doses of placebo, 5 mg/day or 10 mg/day of ARICEPT. The 30-week study was divided into a 24-week double-blind active treatment phase followed by a 6-week single-blind placebo washout period. The study was designed to compare 5 mg/day or 10 mg/day fixed doses of ARICEPT to placebo. However, to reduce the likelihood of cholinergic effects, the 10 mg/day treatment was started following an initial 7-day treatment with 5 mg/day doses.
What are the most common adverse reactions to aricept?
The most common adverse reactions, defined as those occurring at a frequency of at least 5% in patients receiving 10 mg/day and twice the placebo rate, are largely predicted by ARICEPT's cholinomimetic effects. These include nausea, diarrhea, insomnia, vomiting, muscle cramp, fatigue, and anorexia. These adverse reactions were often transient, resolving during continued ARICEPT treatment without the need for dose modification.
Why should oral dosage forms not be crushed?
The List of Oral Dosage Forms That Should Not Be Crushed, commonly referred to as the "Do Not Crush" list, contains medications that should not be crushed because of their special pharmaceutical formulations or characteristics, such as oral dosage forms that are sustained-release in nature.
Can chewing tablets cause rapid release?
Slow-release; Note: crushing, chewing, or dissolving tablets can cause rapid release and absorption of a potentially fatal dose
What pH does a film coating have to be?
Slow-release; Note: film coating is designed to break down at or above pH of 7.0
What is a slow release tablet?
Slow-release; oral disintegrating tablet designed to disintegrate on the tongue.
Does chewing cause lower concentrations?
Note: chewing or swallowing may result in lower peak concentrations and bioavailability
Can you give slow release via NG tube?
Slow-release (a) (Note: do not give via NG tubes; crushing, chewing or dissolving tablets can cause rapid release and absorption of a potentially fatal dose)
Can mucous membrane irritant be dissolved in water?
Mucous membrane irritant; Note: may be dissolved in water or apple juice
How to dissolve a syringe?
For patients using the oral disintegrating tablet form of this medicine: 1 Make sure your hands are dry. 2 Do not push the tablet through the foil backing of the package. Instead, gently peel back the foil backing and remove the tablet. 3 Immediately place the tablet on top of the tongue. 4 Do not swallow the tablet whole. The tablet will dissolve in seconds, and you may swallow it with your saliva. You should drink a glass of water after the tablet has dissolved.
How to store a med?
Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light. Keep from freezing. Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use. Keep out of the reach of children. Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.
Where to place a tablet on tongue?
Immediately place the tablet on top of the tongue.
Can you crush Donepezil?
It may be taken with or without food, on a full or empty stomach. Swallow the tablet whole. Do not crush, break, or chew it. For patients using the oral disintegrating tablet form of this medicine:
Mechanism of Action
Donepezil is used to treat confusion (dementia) related to Alzheimer's disease.
May Treat: Diffuse Lewy body disease · Mild to moderate Alzheimer's type dementia · Moderate to severe Alzheimer's type dementia
Drug Class: Alzheimer's Disease Therapy - Cholinesterase Inhibitors
Availability: Prescription Required
Pregnancy: Consult a doctor before using
Lactation: Consult a doctor before using
May Treat: Diffuse Lewy body disease · Mild to moderate Alzheimer's type dementia · Moderate to severe Alzheimer's type dementia
Drug Class: Alzheimer's Disease Therapy - Cholinesterase Inhibitors
Availability: Prescription Required
Pregnancy: Consult a doctor before using
Lactation: Consult a doctor before using
Alcohol: Limit intake while taking this medication
Driving: May cause drowsiness or dizziness. Use caution
Manufacturer: EISAI INC.
Pharmacokinetics
Drug Interactions
Animal Toxicology and/or Pharmacology
Mild to Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease
Moderate to Severe Alzheimer’s Disease
- Pharmacokinetics of donepezil are linear over a doserange of 1-10 mg given once daily. The rate and extent of absorption of ARICEPTtablets are not influenced by food. Based on population pharmacokinetic analysis of plasmadonepezil concentrations measured in patients with Alzheimer's disease,following oral dosing, peak plasma concentration is achieved for ARICEPT …