DONEPEZIL (ORAL)

(doe NEP e zil) Brand: Aricept, Aricept ODT

What is the most significant information I must know about donepezil?

• Till taking donepezil, speak your doctor if you have a heart rhythm mess such as "sick sinus syndrome" (slow heartbeats), an enlarged prostate, urination problems, asthma, obstructive pulmonary malady, or a seizure mess such as epilepsy.

• If you need to have any type of surgery, speak the surgeon onward of time that you are taking donepezil.

• Donepezil can reason side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

What is donepezil?

• Donepezil improves the function of nerve cells in the brain. It works by preventing the breakdown of a chemical called acetylcholine (ah see til KO leen). People with dementia generally have lower levels of this chemical, which is significant for the processes of memory, thinking, and reasoning.

• Donepezil is used to treat mild to temperate dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease.

• Donepezil may also be used for another purposes not listed in this medicine guide.

What must I discuss with my healthcare provider till taking donepezil?

• Do not take this medicine if you are allergic to donepezil.

• Till taking donepezil, speak your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have:

· a heart rhythm mess such as "sick sinus syndrome" (slow heartbeats);

· a history of stomach ulcers;

· an enlarged prostate or urination problems;

· epilepsy or another seizure mess; or

· asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary malady (COPD).

• If you have any of these conditions, you may need a doze adjustment or particular trials to safely take donepezil.

• FDA pregnancy category C. This medicine may be deleterious to an unborn child. Speak your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

• It is not known whether donepezil passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing child. Do not use this medicine without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

How must I take donepezil?

• Take this medicine exactly as it was predesigned for you. Do not take the medicine in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

• If you need to have any type of surgery, speak the surgeon onward of time that you are taking donepezil. You may need to stop using the medication for a short time.

• Donepezil can be taken with or without food or milk.

• Take the donepezil regular tablets with a full glass of water.

• To take donepezil orally disintegrating tablet (Aricept ODT):

· Hold the tablet in its blister pack before you are ready to take the medication. Open the package and peel or cut the backing from the tablet blister. Do not push a tablet through the backing or you may hurt the tablet.

· Using dry hands, remove the tablet and seat it in your mouth. It will begin to dissolve right away.

· Do not swallow the tablet intact. Let it to dissolve in your mouth without chewing.

· Swallow different times as the tablet dissolves. After the tablet dissolves completely, drink a glass of water.

• Donepezil is generally taken at bedtime. Follow your doctor's instructions.

• Store donepezil at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What happens if I miss a dose?

• Take the missed doze as soon as you remember. If it is nearly time for your following doze, skip the missed doze and take the medication at the following regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medication to create up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

• Search abnormal medical attention if you think you have used too many of this medicine.

• Overdose symptoms may include severe nausea, vomiting, drooling, sweating, blurred vision, feeling light-headed, slow heartbeat, shallow breathing, muscle weakness, fainting, or seizure (convulsions).

What must I avoid while taking donepezil?

• Donepezil can reason side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

What are the possible side effects of donepezil?

• Get abnormal medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your person, lips, tongue, or throat.

• Stop using donepezil and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

· black, bloody, or tarry stools;

· coughing up blood or vomit that looks like blood or coffee grounds;

· painful or difficult urination;

· seizure (black-out or convulsions);

• Smaller serious side effects may include:

· nausea, vomiting, diarrhea;

· loss of appetite;

· muscle cramps;

· weary feeling; or

· sleep problems (insomnia).

• This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Speak your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect. You may message side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What another drugs will affect donepezil?

• Till taking donepezil, speak your doctor if you are taking any of the next medicines:

· atropine (Donnatal, and others);

· belladonna;

· carbamazepine (Tegretol);

· clidinium (Quarzan);

· dexamethasone (Decadron);

· dicyclomine (Bentyl);

· glycopyrrolate (Robinul);

· hyoscyamine (Anaspaz, Cystospaz, Levsin, and others);

· mepenzolate (Cantil);

· methantheline (Provocholine);

· methscopolamine (Pamine), scopolamine (Transderm-Scop);

· phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton);

· phenytoin (Dilantin);

· propantheline (Pro-Banthine);

· quinidine (Cardioquin, Quinidex, Quinaglute, others);

· rifampin (Rifadin, Rifamate, Rifater);

· a fungal antibiotic such as ketoconazole (Nizoral), fluconazole (Diflucan), or itraconazole (Sporanox); or

· aspirin or another NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), diclofenac (Voltaren), diflunisal (Dolobid), etodolac (Lodine), flurbiprofen (Ansaid), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen (Orudis), ketorolac (Toradol), mefenamic acid (Ponstel), meloxicam (Mobic), nabumetone (Relafen), piroxicam (Feldene), and others.

• This list is not complete and there may be another drugs that can interact with donepezil. Speak your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal commodity, and drugs predesigned by another doctors. Do not start using a new medicine without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

• Your pharmacist can provide more information about donepezil.

Remember, hold this and all another medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medicine only for the indication prescribed.

Disclaim: Each effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses external of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way must be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safety, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the help of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.