Side effects of Donepezil

[Mico]

My wife has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

She has been prescribed Donepezil.

She has done one month on 5mg and experienced muscle cramps, wich subsided and seemed to be helped by taking tonic water.

She has now been prescribed 10mg and been on it for 6 days.

She seems to be very tired and as she says "shaky".

Are these side effects and do they last forever or is it an effect of the increase in dosage, that will subside.

Bottom line, should she persevere?

 

[Shedrech]

hello @Mico
and welcome to TP
toleration of meds is such an individual thing - some have stomach problems with donepezil which show up pretty soon and are a sign that the drug won't be tolerated - and some are better on the lower dosage - and sometimes the time of day the pills are taken makes a difference
I'd definitely speak with your wife's consultant and let them know what she's noticed as the consultant is the one who will know what reactions are negative and which may settle - and there are other drugs to try instead if necessary
my dad was Ok with this medication and it definitely helped him be more settled so he felt better in himself

 

[Lucianne]

My wife has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

She has been prescribed Donepezil.

She has done one month on 5mg and experienced muscle cramps, wich subsided and seemed to be helped by taking tonic water.

She has now been prescribed 10mg and been on it for 6 days.

She seems to be very tired and as she says "shaky".

Are these side effects and do they last forever or is it an effect of the increase in dosage, that will subside.

Bottom line, should she persevere?

My wife has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

She has been prescribed Donepezil.

She has done one month on 5mg and experienced muscle cramps, wich subsided and seemed to be helped by taking tonic water.

She has now been prescribed 10mg and been on it for 6 days.

She seems to be very tired and as she says "shaky".

Are these side effects and do they last forever or is it an effect of the increase in dosage, that will subside.

Bottom line, should she persevere?

Welcome Mico. My husband was prescribed Donepezil, 5 mg, and he had cramp at night, though this was not unusual for him, but it was suggested he took the pill in the morning instead of at night. After a month or so he seemed more at ease and relaxed generally so the dosage was increased to 10 mg. Over the past year the calmness has subsided and he is very angry with the world. He also had a very runny nose which another talking point member mentioned. Apparently Donepezil has the reputation for increasing all sorts of fluid loss! A month ago the dosage was reduced back to 5 mg and I think the runny nose has improved but the temper certainly hasn't. But I think you must take professional advice about stopping the drug altogether. It can take time, I believe, for the body to get used to it. I'm sure others here can probably help with other experiences. Good luck, Lucianne

 

[cumbria35]

Welcome Mico. My husband was prescribed Donepezil, 5 mg, and he had cramp at night, though this was not unusual for him, but it was suggested he took the pill in the morning instead of at night. After a month or so he seemed more at ease and relaxed generally so the dosage was increased to 10 mg. Over the past year the calmness has subsided and he is very angry with the world. He also had a very runny nose which another talking point member mentioned. Apparently Donepezil has the reputation for increasing all sorts of fluid loss! A month ago the dosage was reduced back to 5 mg and I think the runny nose has improved but the temper certainly hasn't. But I think you must take professional advice about stopping the drug altogether. It can take time, I believe, for the body to get used to it. I'm sure others here can probably help with other experiences. Good luck, Lucianne

 

[cumbria35]

My husband is on this medication and is also weary and has snuffles butnit has helped slow the disease.

 

[karaokePete]

My wife is on this medication and tolerates it well if taken at night. If she takes it in the morning she is sick all day. It has helped her function.
When it was first prescribed the Consultant said it might cause problems for a while but to stick with it as a befefit would be derived and any sickness etc., would likely settle.
At the end of the day it’s up to you and the Consultant as each case has to be considered individually.

 

[fortune]

Donepazil gave my mum diarrhoea and it has never really gone away. Loperamide has helped a bit. No other side effects that I know of. I've no idea if it has helped slow the course of the disease. There's no way of telling.

 

[margherita]

. He also had a very runny nose which another talking point member mentioned.

My husband has been complaining about runny nose since he is on medication for Alzheimer's. He complained when he was on Donepezil (which was bad for his stomach) and he complains now he is on memantine(Ebixa).
Do you know if this is a common side effect of most meds for Alzheimer's?

 

[Bree]

MOH is also on Donepezil, at first he was taking it at night, but he was experiencing awful nightmares. It was suggested that he took it in the morning after breakfast, which suited him better. He also suffers with a runny nose, but this can be common in the elderly anyway. He too suffers from loose bowels, but as long as he takes Loperamide every day, it is controlled.

Would I say that the medication has helped, overall I would say yes. I do feel that his condition at present is static.The anger and shouting has gradually subsided for the most part, that was the hardest thing to cope with for me. Having spent some of my working life nursing, I'm lucky that other symptoms are easier for me to deal with than some.

 

[Nandi]

My husband was put on donezapil 6 years ago and it lowered his blood pressure too much had to have checks all the time changed to memantine does it do any good? who knows only way to answer that question would be to stop it ?

 

[Nandi]

My husband was put on donezapil 6 years ago it lowered his low blood pressure too much had checks every 6months for 2 years now on memantine does it help with Alzheimer's who knows unless we stop it ?