Aricept (Donepezil Hydrochloride)
Complete patient guide for uses, dosage, side effects, and safety information
Prescription RequiredQuick Facts
What Is Aricept Used For?
Aricept is a medication specifically designed to help people with Alzheimer’s disease manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life.
Primary Uses
Aricept is used to treat mild, moderate and severe Alzheimer’s disease, also called dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. While Aricept will not cure the disease, it should help improve your memory and your ability to think more clearly.
How It Works
Aricept is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. It works by increasing the level of a chemical called acetylcholine in the brain, which helps improve cognitive function.
Good to know: This medicine helps control your condition and may improve your symptoms, even though it doesn’t cure Alzheimer’s disease
How to Take Aricept
Taking Aricept correctly is important for getting the best results from your treatment. Your doctor will start you on a lower dose and may adjust it based on how you respond.
Dosage Instructions
The usual starting dose is one Aricept 5 mg tablet each day. After one month, your doctor will assess your response and may increase your dose to one Aricept 10 mg tablet each day. Take your medicine every night just before you go to bed. Swallow the tablets whole with a full glass of water. Aricept can be taken with or without food. Taking it at the same time each day will have the best effect and help you remember when to take it.
What If You Miss a Dose?
If you forget to take a tablet, just take one tablet the following day at the usual time then continue as normal. Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose you missed. If you forget to take your medicine for more than 1 week, call your doctor before taking any more.
Important: Never take a double dose to make up for a missed dose, as this may increase the chance of unwanted side effects
Available Tablet Strengths
Side Effects
Like all medications, this medicine can cause side effects. Most are mild and temporary, but some require medical attention.
Common Side Effects
These side effects occur relatively frequently and usually don’t require emergency care:
- Heartburn, indigestion, or stomach pain
- Headache or dizziness
- Difficulty in sleeping
- Unusual tiredness
- Feeling sick, diarrhoea, vomiting
- Loss of appetite, weight loss
- Bruising
- Muscle cramps, joint pain
- Tingling or numbness of the hands or feet
- Depression, unusual dreams
- Agitation, aggressive behaviour
- Difficulty in urinating or passing urine more often
- Changes in sexual drive, particularly increase
Seek immediate medical attention if you experience:
- Seeing, feeling or hearing things that are not there
- Trembling and shaking of the hands and fingers, shuffling walk and stiffness of the arms and legs
- Bending of the back forward and to one side (Pisa syndrome)
- Severe upper stomach pain, often with nausea, vomiting and fever
- Changes in heart activity (prolonged QT interval)
- Fast irregular heartbeat, fainting (symptoms of Torsade de Pointes)
- Any breathing difficulties
- Sudden signs of allergy such as rash, itching or hives, swelling of face, lips, tongue
- Vomiting blood or material that looks like coffee grounds
- Black sticky bowel motions
- Convulsions or fits
- Weakness, shortness of breath, yellowing of skin, dark brown urine and stomach pain
- Sudden increase in body temperature, sweating, muscle stiffness, or altered consciousness
Important Warnings
Before starting Aricept, it’s important to discuss your medical history with your doctor to ensure this medication is safe for you.
Who Should Not Take Aricept
Do not use Aricept if you are allergic to donepezil hydrochloride, piperidine derivatives, or any of the ingredients listed. Do not use if the expiry date has passed or if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering.
Medical Conditions to Discuss
Tell your doctor if you have heart problems (such as irregular or very slow heartbeat, heart failure, myocardial infarction), a heart condition called ‘prolonged QT interval’ or certain abnormal heart rhythms called Torsade de Pointes, low levels of magnesium or potassium in your blood, stomach problems (particularly gastric or duodenal ulcer), seizures or fits, asthma or obstructive lung disease, loss of memory due to stroke or blood vessel problems, or tendencies toward aggressive behavior.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Check with your doctor if you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you are breastfeeding or intend to breastfeed. Aricept is not recommended for use in children as safety and effectiveness have not been established.
Drug Interactions
Some medicines may interfere with Aricept and affect how it works. Always tell your doctor or pharmacist about all medicines you are taking.
- Any other medicine for dementia
- Medicines used to relieve stomach cramps or spasms, Parkinson’s disease or travel sickness
- Medicines used to relax muscles
- Medicines used in general anaesthesia
- Anti-fungal medicines (e.g. ketoconazole)
- Medicines for bacterial infections (e.g. clarithromycin, erythromycin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, rifampicin)
- Dexamethasone (a corticosteroid medicine)
- Medicines for heart rhythm problems (e.g. amiodarone, sotalol)
- Medicines for depression (e.g. citalopram, escitalopram, amitriptyline, fluoxetine)
- Medicines for psychosis (e.g. pimozide, sertindole, ziprasidone)
- Medicines for difficulty in passing urine
- Arthritis, pain or inflammation medicines (NSAIDs)
- Medicines for high blood pressure or fast heartbeat
- Asthma medicines
- Diarrhoea medicines
- Epilepsy medicines (carbamazepine, phenobarbitone or phenytoin)
Alcohol & Driving
Aricept may affect your ability to drive or operate machinery, especially when you first start taking it or when your dose is increased.
Alcohol
No specific alcohol warnings were mentioned in the source material. Consult your doctor about alcohol consumption while taking Aricept.
Driving and Operating Machinery
Be careful before you drive or use any machines or tools until you know how Aricept affects you. This medicine may cause fatigue, dizziness and muscle cramps especially at the start of treatment or if the dose is increased. Additionally, Alzheimer’s disease itself may affect your ability to drive or operate machinery. Ask your doctor whether it is safe for you to continue to drive or operate machinery.
Temperature Regulation
No specific temperature regulation warnings were mentioned in the source material.
Storage
Keep your tablets in their blister pack until it is time to take them. Store in a cool dry place away from moisture, heat or sunlight, where the temperature stays below 30°C. Do not store in the bathroom, near a sink, in the car or on window sills. Keep where young children cannot reach it.
Overdose Information
If you think you have used too much Aricept, you may need urgent medical attention. Immediately phone the Poisons Information Centre (by calling 13 11 26), contact your doctor, or go to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.
Frequently Asked Questions
It may take several weeks for your medicine to take effect, so do not be discouraged if you do not see an improvement straight away.
Yes, Aricept can be taken with or without food.
Do not stop taking your medicine or change the dosage without checking with your doctor first. This medicine helps control your condition, so it’s important to keep taking it even if you feel well.
Take your medicine every night just before you go to bed. Taking it at the same time each day will have the best effect and help you remember when to take it.
If you forget to take a tablet, just take one tablet the following day at the usual time then continue as normal. Do not take a double dose to make up for the missed dose.
Aricept will not cure Alzheimer’s disease, but it should help your memory and improve your ability to think more clearly.
Keep your tablets in their blister pack until it is time to take them, in a cool, dry place where the temperature stays below 30°C. Do not store in the bathroom or car.
Important Disclaimer
This information is intended for general educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider or pharmacist before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or emergency services immediately.