Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease with Generic Aricept Donepezil
Title: Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease with Generic Aricept Donepezil
Generic Aricept Donepezil is prescribed to treat the symptoms of early Alzheimer's disease. The disease results in brain physical changes that detach information flow and affect memory, thinking and behavior. Intake of Generic Aricept Donepezil helps preserveing the balance of a chemical in the brain. This medicine is available on prescription only.
Take Generic Aricept Donepezil by mouth once daily with or without food, as a rule just before bedtime, or as instructed by your doctor. If you observe sleeping problems (insomnia), consult your doctor about switching to a morning dose. You can take this medication regularly in order to get the most benefit from it. Do not stop taking it or increase the dosage unless your doctor has told you to do so. It may take a few weeks before the full benefit of this drug takes effect. Inform your doctor if your condition gets worse.
Drug Interactions
Drugs with anti-cholinergic properties that can cross into the brain, should be avoided during treatment with Generic Aricept Donepezil because, these drugs frustrate the effects of donepezil. Some of these drugs are atropine, benztropine (Cogentin), and trihexyphenidyl (Artane).
Some enzymes in the liver work to metabolize (eliminate) Generic Aricept Donepezil. There are some drugs that increase this metabolism of donepezil by increasing the amounts of these enzymes. These drugs are carbamazepine (Tegretol), dexamethasone (Decadron), phenobarbital, phenytoin (Dilantin), and rifampin (Rifadin). By increasing elimination, these drugs may reduce the effects of donepezil.
Ketoconazole (Nizoral) is a drug that blocks the enzymes in the liver that metabolize donepezil. Thus, simultaneous use of ketoconazole and donepezil may increase concentrations of donepezil in the body and possibly lead to donepezil side effects. Quinidine (Quinidex, Quinaglute) also reduce the enzymes that metabolize donepezil and may cause donepezil side effects.
Precautions and Side Effects
Generic Aricept Donepezil is not recommended in the patient if they have allergy to any of its ingredients. Likewise; certain drugs may hamper with its activity and it is therefore very important to tell your doctor of any current medications that you may be using. Common or likely side effects of this medication may be weight loss, muscle cramps, diarrhea, dizziness, insomnia, fatigue, vomiting and abnormal dreams.
Warnings
Generic Aricept Donepezil, as a cholinesterase inhibitor, is likely to blow up succinylcholine-type muscle relaxation during anesthesia.
Through their main action, Generic Aricept Donepezil may increase the chances of gastric acid secretion caused by increased cholinergic activity. Hence, patients should be supervised strictly for symptoms of active or occult gastrointestinal bleeding, particularly those who develop ulcers, e.g., those with a history of ulcer disease or those receiving parallel nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).
As this medicine is not intended for women of child-bearing age, there has not been any clinical study on its effects during pregnancy, and it is not known whether it appears in breast milk. Therefore women during pregnancy should not use this drug. Nursing mothers are also denied to use this drug before consulting doctor.