Aricept or Exelon? Which one works best?

[seasong]

Hello Everyone,

I was wondering if any of you has experience with "switching" from Aricept to Exelon (patch) or the other way around. If so, what have been your experiences? They both belong to the same category in terms of action...but I wonder whether one is thought to be more effective than the other, be better tolerated, etc.

I am very thankful in advance for any information you can share on this.

Very best wishes.

Seasong

 

[CJinUSA]

My guess, based on stories I've heard from others, is that over here, they usually try Exelon first (not the patch but the capsule), and if that is not tolerated well, then shift to Aricept. I know of three cases where this has happened. If the doctor is giving you a choice, it might be worthwhile to look on the web for interactions with whatever other drugs the Alz patient is taking.

 

[CeliaThePoet]

Yes, my mother went from Aricept (after 5 years) to the Exelon patch. The patch was awful for her--increased confusion, loss of language, moody, agitated. This may not hold true for your LO, as each person is different. (In our case, mom has no specific dementia diagnosis after all this time, so I did not want her on a med for something she doesn't have.)

I'm afraid it is is very much a trial and error situation and little about a person's response can be predicted. Good luck to you.

 

[Dearie Me]

My mum started on the lower dose of aricept, but it gave her violent diarrhoea. The consultant changed the prescription to exelon patches and they have been tolerated well. I don't know how much they have slowed the progression of the disease, but mum managed to stay at home for almost three years since her diagnosis, and has only recently moved into care.

 

[keywest67]

Hi, my Dad was on Aricept and it didn't agree with him at all, made him worse in fact, I fought to get him on Ebixa (also known as Mementine) and this was like a miracle drug for him, it was like switching a light back on and it gave us Dad back for 12 months before it stopped working , I believe Exelon is a combination drug which has Ebixa in it..........it also helped with Dads ago agitation and sleep.