Aricept contains the active drug donepezil. Donepezil belongs to a drug class called acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. ACh helps with cognitive function, such as thinking and memory. This allows more ACh to build up in the brain. It takes at least 2 weeks for Aricept to start working. It may take a few weeks or months before you notice any improvement in cognitive function ability to think and remember.
Aricept stays in your system for around 2 weeks after your last dose. But a study showed that the beneficial effects of Aricept decline over 6 weeks after stopping the drug. As with all medications, the cost of Aricept can vary.
To find current prices for Aricept in your area, check out GoodRx. The cost you find on GoodRx. Keep in mind that you may be able to get a day supply of Aricept. If approved by your insurance company, getting a day supply of the drug could reduce your number of trips to the pharmacy and help lower the cost. Before approving coverage for Aricept, your insurance company may require you to get prior authorization.
This means that your doctor and insurance company will need to communicate about your prescription before the insurance company will cover the drug. The insurance company will review the prior authorization request and decide if the drug will be covered. For more information about possible cost assistance for Aricept, visit the Medicine Assistance Tool website.
Also check with your doctor or pharmacist about ways to save on this medication. Aricept may be available through a mail-order pharmacy. Some Medicare plans may help cover the cost of mail-order medications. Aricept is available in a generic form called donepezil.
And generics tend to cost less than brand-name drugs. To find out how the cost of donepezil compares to the cost of Aricept, visit GoodRx.
They may have a preference for one version or the other. You should take Aricept according to the instructions your doctor or a healthcare professional gives you. The best time to take Aricept is right before you go to bed. The manufacturer of Aricept recommends that you take your daily dose in the evening, right before your bedtime. Aricept oral tablets that contain 5 milligrams mg or 10 mg of the active drug ingredient may be crushed or split.
Most people swallow these whole. If your doctor advises you to do so, you can cut the 5-mg or mg tablets in half. If you take the mg oral tablets, you should swallow each tablet whole. You should not crush, cut, or chew Aricept tablets that come in this strength. Also, over time, drinking too much alcohol can lead to liver problems. Liver damage, such as alcoholic cirrhosis , could possibly increase your risk for side effects from Aricept.
If you drink alcohol, talk with your doctor before taking Aricept. Aricept can interact with several other medications. It can also interact with certain supplements as well as certain foods.
Different interactions can cause different effects. For instance, some interactions can interfere with how well a drug works. Other interactions can increase side effects or make them more severe. Below is a list of medications that can interact with Aricept. This list does not contain all drugs that may interact with Aricept. Before taking Aricept, talk with your doctor and pharmacist.
Tell them about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take. Also tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use. Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions. If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist. But St. This herb could affect how well the drug works.
If you have any questions about eating certain foods with Aricept, talk with your doctor. Withdrawal effects are side effects that may occur after a person stops taking a drug. This happens because their body gets used to certain effects of that drug.
Aricept is not meant to be used by anyone who is able to breastfeed a child. Using more than the recommended dosage of Aricept can lead to serious side effects. Do not take more Aricept than your doctor recommends. You can also call the American Association of Poison Control Centers at or use its online tool. But if your symptoms are severe, call or your local emergency number, or go to the nearest emergency room right away. When you get Aricept from the pharmacy, the pharmacist will add an expiration date to the label on the bottle or packaging.
This date is typically 1 year from the date they dispensed the medication. The expiration date helps guarantee that the medication is effective during this time. If you have unused medication that has gone past the expiration date, talk with your pharmacist about whether you might still be able to use it. How long a medication remains good to use can depend on many factors, including how and where you store the medication. Store the drug in a tightly sealed container away from light. Avoid storing this medication in areas where it could get damp or wet, such as bathrooms.
This helps prevent others, including children and pets, from taking the drug by accident. It also helps keep the drug from harming the environment. This article provides several useful tips on medication disposal. You can also ask your pharmacist for information about how to dispose of your medication. Overall the decline was less than that estimated if this cohort of patients had not been treated.
The most common adverse events were related to the nervous and digestive systems, and were generally mild and transient, resolving without the need for dose modifications.
There was no evidence of hepatotoxicity. One way Alzheimer's disease harms the brain is by decreasing levels of a chemical messenger acetylcholine that's important for alertness, memory, thought and judgment. Cholinesterase ko-lin-ES-tur-ays inhibitors boost the amount of acetylcholine available to nerve cells by preventing its breakdown in the brain. Cholinesterase inhibitors can't reverse Alzheimer's disease or stop the destruction of nerve cells.
These medications eventually lose effectiveness because dwindling brain cells produce less acetylcholine as the disease progresses. Common side effects can include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Starting treatment at a low dose and working up to a higher dose can help reduce side effects.
Taking these medications with food also might help minimize side effects. It works by regulating the activity of glutamate, a messenger chemical widely involved in brain functions — including learning and memory.
It's taken as a pill or syrup. Common side effects include dizziness, headache, confusion and agitation. The FDA has also approved a combination of donepezil and memantine Namzaric , which is taken as a capsule. Side effects include headache, dizziness, nausea and diarrhea. Because Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, your symptoms and care plan will change over time. If you're taking an Alzheimer's drug, ongoing review of your care plan will include working with your doctor to decide how long you should continue your medication.
Because the effects of Alzheimer's drugs are usually modest, it might be difficult to tell if the drugs are working. However, you can't know if your symptoms might be more severe without your medication. Talk to your doctor before stopping an Alzheimer's drug, and let your doctor know if your condition worsens after you stop.
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